WELCOME to the Launch Party for ZANE (Inked Brotherhood, #3). ZANE is a New Adult contemporary (erotic) romance by author Jo Raven. It’s book #3 in the Inked Brotherhood series – but can be read as a stand-alone title, as well.

We’re celebrating the release with giveaways of ebooks and gift cards on Jo Raven’s author page:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoRaven

We’ll be celebrating all day, so join us to read steamy excerpts and teasers from ZANE and for the chance to win electronic copies of the book!

ZANE purchase links:

 Amazon com: http://tinyurl.com/nkuy5jo

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zane-jo-raven/1120634426

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/zane-6

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id933300644

SYNOPSIS

They call me Zen-man, the cool-headed one, the protector. I keep an eye out for everyone, take them in, find them homes. They think I’m the calm and collected one, the self-assured one, the one who knows the way. They think they see me. They think they know me.

But they’re all wrong, because inside I’m broken. I have a jagged hole in my soul I can’t fix, a festering blackness. I’ve been to the pits of hell, and nobody comes back unscathed. Life in foster care fucked me up, and now a thread is all that’s holding me together.

So I sleep around and never date, keeping chicks away. One day I’ll snap, and when I do, there’s no telling who I might take down with me.

All the same, there’s this one girl who won’t be scared away. Dakota. She’s hot, and I won’t deny I want her. But she keeps coming back, pushing me, trying to get me to talk, to open up to her.

She has no idea she’s playing with fire. When the demons come, she’d better be far away from me, just like everyone else.

This is book 3 in the Inked Brotherhood series which started with Asher. It is a stand-alone work. No cliffhanger.

 EXCERPT

Zane’s here.

He’s standing with his back to the wall, arms folded over his broad chest, his slanted eyes on me, hot and intense. His Mohawk is tall as ever, and the silver studs in his ears and the hoops in his brow glint. I scan him from his exotic face to the faded black T-shirt stretched over his pecs, down to his ripped jeans, and I struggle for breath.

Gah. He’s too handsome to be real. Too handsome to be interested in me. And yet here he is, and I can’t miss the bulge on the front of his jeans. He’s obviously hard, and the realization makes me feel hot. The tips of my breasts tighten painfully.

What is it about this boy that makes me lose my train of thought? Deciding I want to break through his defenses is one thing—but what he does to my body even with one look should be illegal.

“You came,” I blurt, and instantly wish I had swallowed my tongue instead.

He cocks his head to the side, eyes heavy-lidded. “Almost,” he whispers, and oh God, the boy is sexy as hell. “You have an awesome voice. Never heard anything like it.”

My face flames. “Thanks.”

I step off the stage, and he grabs my hand, steadying me. His fingers are callused and warm, his grip like steel.

“Hey, Koko, you okay?” Luke calls out.

“Fine. Just need a moment backstage. Yeah?”

“Koko?” Zane arches a dark brow at me.

“Yeah, the guys call me that.”

“I prefer Dakota.”

God, me, too, especially when Zane is speaking it in his low, warm voice.

Besides… ‘Koko’ brings back too many bad memories. I’m not that girl anymore, the girl who trusted Collin with her life and almost died for it.

I head toward the small backstage room, and he doesn’t release my hand. He follows me inside and closes the door, then turns the lock.

Before I ask what he’s doing, he slams me back against the wall, his muscled body pinning me, so that I feel every defined ridge and plane of his chest. He’s breathing hard.

Speaking of hard… The rod of his erection is trapped sideways inside his jeans, and its heat seeps through the fabric, branding my flesh.

“What are you doing to me?” he breathes, his strong hand trailing down my neck and slipping the strap of my blouse off my shoulder. “What the hell are you doing to me?”

I should stop him, but his fingertips send electric shocks down my spine. He lowers his face toward me, and my lips part in anticipation. He’s going to kiss me, I think, as his breath brushes the corner of my mouth—but he doesn’t. He trails his mouth over my cheek, along my jaw, under my ear. The touch of his lips—hot and soft—tortures me, arousing me more and more, as he bares my shoulder, and draws patterns on my skin.

I struggle to swallow a moan, my nipples pressed against his chest, tiny pinpricks of pain and pleasure. His hand tangles in my hair, tipping my head back for better access, and his mouth brands my neck, sending electric discharges right into my core. Fire coils low inside of me.

Oh God, I think I’m about to come just from his lips on my neck and his fingertips on my shoulder. I have to do something to stop him. Stop myself.

I place my hands on his chest. “Ink me, Zane,” I whisper.

His mouth leaves my neck, and when he looks down at me, his eyes are so dark with need they seem black. His breathing is ragged. “Don’t.”

“I want it.” It’s more than a game now, more than familiar teasing. I need his touch so much it’s scary as hell. I’m throbbing everywhere, and I feel wet between my legs. This has never happened to me before. It’s as if the ground has been yanked from under my feet. It’s like freefall, and I hate falling.

“Tell me what you want.” He braces an arm on the wall by my head and licks his lips. He doesn’t kiss me. Why won’t he kiss me?

“You know what I want,” I say.

He leans closer again, his male musk scent surrounding me, and how can I think straight when my hands are on his rippling abs, his mouth is inches from mine, and his hardness keeps pressing into my belly?

“What you want,” he drawls, “is for me to fuck you against the wall until you scream.”

I gulp. “No,” I lie, because the image… God. “What I want is a dragon tattoo.”

Immediately, like every time, his face closes off, his defenses slamming down hard, turning his eyes into flat mirrors. “And I said no.”

“Please, Zane. I want your ink on me.”

His intake of breath is sharp, and under my palms, his heart is racing. “My ink.” His nostrils flare. He looks like a tiger about to pounce. “On you.” His erection is more insistent now. He likes the idea.

“Yes. I love your designs, and I really want—”

He pulls away and turns me around. I yelp in surprise as he pushes me flush against the wall and draws my wild hair to the side. “I’ll ink you all right,” he whispers, and something fine and cool touches my bare shoulder.

I shudder. “What are you doing?”

“Inking you,” he bites out the words, and the sensation tickles. He’s drawing something, I realize, but what? With what?

“Zane…”

“It’s not permanent, don’t worry.” His hand is sure, the lines flowing on my skin, faster and faster. Then he’s drawing letters, and I squirm, trying to see what he’s doing, but his other hand is pressing the small of my back, keeping me still. “Almost done.”

How did we go from almost kissing to ‘almost done’ and ‘not permanent’? What is he doing? I struggle again, and this time he releases me. He’s holding a ballpoint pen in his hand, and he throws it on a table in the corner.

“What did you do?” I demand, trying to see over my shoulder, going cross-eyed with the effort.

“Inked you,” he bites out the words, and turns around, yanking the door open. “That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

AUTHOR BIO

Jo Raven writes New Adult erotic contemporary romance. She loves sexy bad boys and strong-willed heroines, and divides her time between writing and reading. When not cooking up plots, she putters in her cluttered kitchen and dreams of traveling to India and Japan.

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Title: Zane

Series: Inked Brotherhood (Book 3)

Author: Jo Raven

Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance (steamy) / lickable angsty romance

Blurb

They call me Zen-man, the cool-headed one, the protector. I keep an eye out for everyone, taking them in, finding them homes. They think I’m the calm and collected one, the self-assured one, the one who knows the way. They think they see me. They think they know me.

But they’re all wrong, because inside I’m broken. I have a jagged hole in my soul I can’t fix, a festering blackness. I’ve been to the pits of hell and nobody comes back unscathed. Life in foster care fucked me up, and now a thread is all that’s holding me together.

So I sleep around and never date, keeping chicks away. One day I’ll snap, and when I do, there’s no telling who I might take down with me.

All the same, there’s this one girl who won’t be scared away. Dakota. She’s hot and I won’t deny I want her. But she keeps coming back, needling me, trying to get me to talk, to open up to her.

She has no idea she’s playing with fire. When the demons come, she’d better be far away from me, just like everyone else.

ADD ZANE ON GOODREADS

Jo Raven Bio

Jo Raven writes New Adult erotic romance. She loves sexy bad boys and strong-willed heroines, and divides her time between writing and reading. When not cooking up plots, she putters in her cluttered kitchen and dreams of traveling to India and Japan.

FOLLOW JO RAVEN!

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Website

Amazon

BEAUTIFUL RUIN by Alison Foster

 GENRE: New Adult Contemporary Romance

 RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2014

SYNOPSIS:

Grace Kendall knows what it’s like to have life knock you on your butt. She’s been through hell and made it back. She’s fine with trusting no one and expecting nothing until a night wind blows something quite unexpected onto her doorstep in the rain.

The scruffy, yet gorgeous enigma known as Nathan Henley steps inside her apartment and brings with him all those feelings Grace has tried so hard to tuck safely away. Beneath his bruised and damaged exterior, she senses all the dark and beautiful secrets lost within the tarnished diamond of his lonely heart.

Like everyone before him, he must be too good to be true. She resists his mystery as long as she can, but she knows that any woman would gladly throw themselves against his rock hard chest and shatter helplessly into a million lustful pieces.

When Grace finally decides to trust again, her ex-boyfriend Jack returns to her life with his crooked grin and the past comes crashing down. With the world spinning all around her, Grace must do more than trust, she must fight for the salvation of her own lonely heart.

*Content Warning: this book contains explicit language and sex. Mature readers only.*

MAKE SURE YOU ENTER THE AWESOME RAFFLECOPTER Giveaway for many many gifts – ebooks, paperbacks, swag and gift cards!

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EXCERPT:

Nate nods. His hand squeezes mine softly as he stares into my eyes. “I don’t know anything about your life,” he says.

“There’s a good reason for that,” I try to joke. “It’s totally boring and uninteresting. Lame, as you put it last night.”

“Hey, I didn’t say lame, I said pathetic. There’s a difference.”

“Well, thank you. That makes me feel so much better. Promoted from lame to pathetic. Awesome.”

“You’re welcome, but are we sure it’s a promotion?”

“You’re so not cool,” I say. It’s probably ironic, but I feel relaxed for the first time in a long time. A time that I’d rather not reminisce. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t know anything about your life, either, Nate.”

I’ve barely finished my sentence when he leans in and plants a kiss on my lips. My relaxation vanishes. The shock paralyzes my mind. I don’t know why, but I let him kiss my lips softly for as long as he likes. His bruised cheek brushes against mine but his soft stubble doesn’t bother me.

The smell of fresh soap blends with the musk scent of his muscular body. I’m doing my best to control myself and not reach under his shirt to feel that six pack of his, but as he pushes his tongue in my mouth, I gently pull away.

“Nate, we’re in a library,” I remind him.

“So, you’re not mad?” he says, relieved somehow.

“I’m not sure what I am. It’s just inappropriate.”

“Did it feel inappropriate?” he says.

I don’t answer. I just stare at him in a way that lets him know I’m done answering his questions. I’m not ready to embark on anything new and I don’t want to lie about loving the way he kissed me. I’m in charge.

He reads my thoughts. “Hey, it doesn’t have to be complicated,” he says. “Let’s have dinner while going over our notes and creating our leaflets.”

I nod, grateful for his quick thinking and his generous effort to make things easy and simple. “That works,” I agree.

“I have some shopping to do,” he says as he gets up. “I’ll meet you in an hour back at your place.”

“Make that an hour and a half,” I say, refusing to sacrifice the precious bubble bath I’ve had in mind since leaving work.

He walks away and my heart is still racing. I find myself standing on the sidewalk outside the library not sure how I got here. Disorientation and wonderment course through my body making me light headed.

When my mind starts working again, it hungers labels for what just happened. Love at first sight or spontaneous lust or the desire to disappear from everything. Strangely, it felt safe and trustworthy. It felt like it should have happened and so I allowed it.

For the first time since Jack, my heart pounds out of control with electric curiosity. I didn’t know if that would ever happen again. I think of something I read recently, a Japanese saying: If it’s good, hurry.

AUTHOR BIO

Alison Foster loves reading a good love story almost as much as she loves writing one. She spends her time dreaming up strong heroes and even stronger heroines and she enjoys finding unexpected strengths within her characters when they are in the most unexpected places.

She believes that passion makes the world go round and that a sexy grin is as sweet as candy. She loves interacting with readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

LINKS:

FACEBOOK  

TWITTER 

WEBSITE 

GOODREADS 

TYLER (Inked Brotherhood, #2)

RELEASE PARTY AND GIVEAWAY!

WELCOME to the Launch Party for TYLER (Inked Brotherhood, #2)!!! TYLER is a New Adult contemporary (erotic) romance by author Jo Raven. It’s book #2 in the Inked Brotherhood series (coming right after ASHER) – but can be read as a stand-alone title, as well.

We’re celebrating the release with giveaways of ebooks and gift cards on Jo Raven’s author page!

We’ll be celebrating all day, so join us to read steamy excerpts and teasers from TYLER and for the chance to win electronic copies of Tyler, Asher and others!

SYNOPSIS

Four years have passed since I left home, my parents, and my brother Asher behind – since I shut out my past.
And Erin. Four years since I last saw her, since I heard her voice and held her in my arms. I’ve spent my time forging a path from woman to woman, from bed to bed; trying to find an answer. But I think I’ve lost my way. There’s no light at the end of the dark.
No big surprise. I carry the dark inside me. I’m a bastard – branded as such from the start. I never give my phone number and address; I take my pleasure and don’t come back for seconds. No commitments; no promises and no happy endings. Yeah, I’m a bastard down to the bone and I don’t give a damn.
But now I’m back in my birth town, the town I fled at eighteen – back to make amends to the brother I abandoned and watch from afar the only girl I’ve ever wanted. Hope isn’t a currency I can afford; I learned that lesson long ago.
Yet when she looks at me and says my name, I can’t help but hope.

This is book 2 in the Inked Brotherhood series which started with Asher. It is a stand-alone work. No cliffhanger.

NOW AVAILABLE!!!

Amazon COM

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

ADD THIS BOOK ON GOODREADS!!!

 EXCERPT

“Why?” I blurt out, to break the spell.

“Why what?” his voice rumbles, low and deep, sending shivers skittering over my skin.

I can’t let his face, his scent, his body take away my reason. I came here to talk. “Why did you leave four years ago?”

His mouth flattens and he shoves his fingers through his unruly hair. Those broad shoulders roll in a shrug.

That’s it? He thinks he’s off the hook that easily? No way. I push off the counter and get into his face—well, I crane my neck and almost rise on tiptoe, but it’ll have to do—and grab a fistful of his T-shirt. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going? Why didn’t you ever call? Where were you, for chrissakes?”

“What do you care?” he says, so quietly I’m only sure he spoke because I’m looking right at his beautiful mouth.

My grip on his T-shirt tightens. “Are you seriously asking me this?”

“You told me I should go and never come back.” His eyes close briefly, and a pang goes through my chest. “That I was a bastard and an asshole and wasn’t worth the trouble.”

I let go of him and take a faltering step back. I did say those things, didn’t I? “I’m sorry.” My hormones played havoc with my feelings back then, intensifying every feeling. “What about you? Why did you leave instead of talking this out? I never got a chance to tell you I’m sorry, you just…” I bite my lip and let out a long breath, but it catches in my throat.

Maybe he hears it because he reaches for me and trails his thumb down the line of my jaw. The gesture stills me completely as his dark eyes nail me. I see sadness there, and fear. What is he afraid of?

“I had to go,” he whispers and his hand drops away.

“You left town, Tyler. Left everyone and everything and nobody knew where you were. God, I was so worried.” My throat constricts; I can barely swallow.

“You were?” There’s a hitch in his voice, as if he doesn’t believe it.

“Yes, I was.” I’ve been so afraid for him for so long, I can hardly believe he’s here, alive and well. I reach up and slide my hand over his chest. It’s hard; solid. “Why, Tyler? Tell me why you left.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he grinds out.

I want to bang my fist on his chest and slap his face. My fingers curl against the soft fabric of his T-shirt, and I feel his muscles clench underneath.

“Screw you,” I whisper and I hope my voice won’t break and betray me. “That’s all you have to say to me? I’m not going to—”

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers.

Shocked into silence, I stare at him. His gaze is moving over my body, a hot, silky glide that steals my breath. His pupils are dilated, making his eyes look black.

I try again. “After all this time, I just want to know—”

His hand hooks around my back, pressing me to his body and he bends his head toward me, dark hair falling in his eyes. His mouth descends on mine, sealing the words inside.

The world falls away with a murmur as he kisses me. I gasp and his tongue pushes inside, tangling with mine. He licks at my mouth, and he tastes so good—like dark chocolate and pepper. Familiar. Thrilling. Sexy.

I want more. I slide my arms around his hips and kiss him back. His chest vibrates against me as he moans and then he drags me closer, until my breasts are crushed against his firm abs.

A tiny voice at the back of my mind is screeching in protest—this shouldn’t be happening, we should be talking, explaining, finishing this off—but it’s drowned in the rushing of blood in my ears, the thundering beat of my heart. His smell, his taste, the feel of his muscular body, it sends waves of scalding heat over my skin, through me, tightening the tips of my breasts, starting a pulse between my legs. I cling to him as I burn from the inside out; I desperately need him—need to feel him around me, against me, inside me. Everywhere where he’s been missing for so long.

AUTHOR BIO

Jo Raven writes New Adult erotic contemporary romance. She loves sexy bad boys and strong-willed heroines, and divides her time between writing and reading. When not cooking up plots, she putters in her cluttered kitchen and dreams of traveling to India and Japan.

FOLLOW THIS AUTHOR!

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Twitter

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TYLER (Inked Brotherhood, #2) COVER REVEAL

New Adult contemporary (erotic) romance

by Jo Raven

Cover by Jo Raven

RELEASE DATE: End of July 2014

SYNOPSIS:

Four years have passed since I left home, my parents, and my brother Asher behind – since I shut out my past.
And Erin. Four years since I last saw her, since I heard her voice and held her in my arms. I’ve spent my time forging a path from woman to woman, from bed to bed; trying to find an answer. But I think I’ve lost my way. There’s no light at the end of the dark.
No big surprise. I carry the dark inside me. I’m a bastard – branded as such from the start. I never give my phone number and address; I take my pleasure and don’t come back for seconds. No commitments; no promises and no happy endings. Yeah, I’m a bastard down to the bone and I don’t give a damn.
But now I’m back in my birth town, the town I fled at eighteen – back to make amends to the brother I abandoned and watch from afar the only girl I’ve ever wanted. Hope isn’t a currency I can afford; I learned that lesson long ago.
Yet when she looks at me and says my name, I can’t help but hope.

This is book 2 in the Inked Brotherhood series which started with Asher. It is a stand-alone work. No cliffhanger.

The expected publication date is end July 2014, on all of your favorite e-book websites.

ADD THIS BOOK ON GOODREADS!!!

 EXCERPT

“Why, Tyler? Tell me why you left.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he grinds out.

I want to bang my fist on his chest and slap his face. My fingers curl against the soft fabric of his T-shirt, and I feel his muscles clench underneath.

“Screw you,” I whisper and I hope my voice won’t break and betray me. “That’s all you have to say to me? I’m not going to—”

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers.

Shocked into silence, I stare at him. His gaze is moving over my body, a hot, silky glide that steals my breath. His pupils are dilated, making his eyes look black.

I try again. “After all this time, I just want to know—”

His hand hooks around my back, pressing me to his body, and he bends his head toward me, dark hair falling in his eyes. His mouth descends on mine, sealing the words inside.

The world falls away with a murmur as he kisses me. I gasp and his tongue pushes inside, tangling with mine. He licks at my mouth, and he tastes so good – like dark chocolate and pepper. Familiar. Thrilling. Sexy.

I want more. I slide my arms around his hips and kiss him back. His chest vibrates against me as he moans and then he drags me closer, until my breasts are crushed against his firm abs.

A tiny voice in the back of my mind is screeching in protest – this shouldn’t be happening, we should be talking, explaining, finishing this off – but it’s drowned in the rushing of blood in my ears, the thundering beat of my heart. His smell, his taste, the feel of his muscular body, it all sends waves of scalding heat over my skin, through me, tightening the tips of my breasts, starting a pulse between my legs. I cling to him as I burn from the inside out; I desperately need him – need to feel him around me, against me, inside me. Everywhere where he’s been missing for so long.

His hands move down to the small of my back, then lower, lifting my skirt. He swallows my moan of protest and slips a hand round the front, inside my panties. I gasp as his callused fingers touch me, slide inside me.

Oh god, oh crap. It feels so good. He strokes me, rough and tender, soft and hard, until my body starts to shake. Pleasure rips through me, tearing me apart.

AUTHOR BIO

Jo Raven writes New Adult erotic contemporary romance. She loves sexy bad boys and strong-willed heroines, and divides her time between writing and reading. When not cooking up plots, she putters in her cluttered kitchen and dreams of traveling to India and Japan.

FOLLOW THIS AUTHOR!

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Blog