Welcome to this week's Thursday's Threads featuring Cerian Herbert's steamy contemporary romance, Going, Going, Gone

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E00RUW2

BLURB: When Nell Moreno returns to her small hometown after a lengthy absence, she’s not too surprised no one recognizes her, she’s certainly not the overweight teenager she used to be. While hiding her true identity, Nell “wins” hunky fireman, Elijah Knight, at a charity auction and she’s determined to give the one-time bully a little payback for the misery he caused her when they were teens. However, over the next few weeks she discovers he’s changed a lot too and as they fall in love, Nell is left with the dilemma of how to admit she’s lied to him about who she really is.

EXCERPT:

“That was a pretty generous bid you made,” Eli said.

His gaze stayed locked with hers, a trait she approved of. Most of the men in her acquaintance tended to have wandering eyes. It was difficult to have an intelligent conversation with a man who was more interested in her cup size.

“It’s for a good cause. Besides, I have plans for you. I’ll get my money’s worth.”

Eli chuckled and shifted his feet. “What kind of plans? One thousand dollars is a lot of dinners.”

With a shake of her head, Nell smirked. “Actually, that’s not what I had in mind. You look like a strong guy and a good worker.” She reached out and touched the tip of her finger to his bicep. Just as she thought, hard muscles rippled beneath the dark blue fabric of his dress shirt. Flirting with him was good. She’d probably get more out of him if she came on to him.

Nell brushed away the wicked little thought and contained the smile pulling at her lips. “The truth of the matter is, Gwen needs help with her mom’s house before it can go on the market. You look like you’re good with a hammer and paintbrush.”

“That’s it?” Eli looked down at her fingers, which traced a fold in the fabric of his shirt. “You don’t want a home cooked meal?” He sounded rather relieved. “You know what kind of auction this is, don’t you?”

“Honey, I’m not looking for a date.” Nell dragged her gaze up and down his body.
“Though if I were, I’d definitely consider you. But I don’t plan on being in town too long.”

“My loss.”

The way his dark eyes seemed to meld with hers heated her whole body up. He was good-looking, but she wasn’t prepared for the extent of the attraction she felt. Everyone else in the crowded gym faded away into an inconsequential, gray fog.

Get back in the driver’s seat, Nell, she thought.

www.cerianhebert.com

https://www.facebook.com/Ceriansbooks

https://twitter.com/CerianHebert

This week's Thread is a dark Paranormal, Fallen Redemption, by RB Austin, and it's on sale for only $0.99 until July 27!

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Level: Sizzle

Buy Link: Fallen Redemption (The Trihune Series Book 1) - Kindle edition by RB Austin. Paranormal Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. 

Blurb:

Cade committed himself to saving lives before he learned the full consequences of his life-altering decision. It wasn’t until he was tending his sick wife that he learned the enormity of what he’d done and he was unable to save her from the monster he had become. Consumed with guilt and praying for absolution, he threw himself into killing every Fallen he could find to save the humans he’d sworn to protect. But then Emma, deliciously mortal and completely forbidden, swept into his world, stirring an overpowering desire. Now he’s not only fighting soulless creatures, but also his inner cravings, trying to maintain his distance and continue on his path to forgiveness. He won’t lose control again and lose another love.


Media Links: Website: RB Austin

Facebook: https://facebook.com/rbaustinauthor

Twitter: RB Austin (authorrbaustin) Twitter

I just typed 'The End' on Gilda and Ryan's story! Hooray! Well, it was at 1:30 this morning, but I wasn't in the mental frame to post about it just then. :-) It will go next to my critique partners for a beta read, then to my editor to begin the next step in the process.
To celebrate, here is a preview of the day Ryan and Gilda meet. A storm has blown up and they take refuge in a nearby cave.

Today's threads is from Soul Mate Publishing author Tina Susedik and her sensuous, romantic mystery novel, Riding for Love..

Look for it at Soul Mate Publishing, Amazon, and B&N


http://www.amazon.com/Riding-for-Love-ebook/dp/B00CLJD31/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/riding-for-love-tina-susedik/1119333999?ean=9781619354289

Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/riding-for-love/

Blurb:  Eve Dayton, owner of a riding ranch, rose above her childhood past and overcame the emotional damage her boyfriend caused when he married another woman. When someone starts sabotaging her ranch, Eve is desperate to find the culprit before she loses everything. Is it a coincidence or is the return of Denton Johanson tied to the mystery?

Divorced Denton Johanson returns to his hometown to help convict the embezzling controller of the family business. When he runs into Eve, he realizes his feelings for her are still strong enough to try and win her back. His fear of horses won’t get in the way of his goal and decides the only way to be near her is to take riding lessons from her. Can he convince her that his love is real and he is not behind the mystery surrounding the ranch?

Excerpt:

“Darn. I’m late.” Eve grabbed her mug of coffee and the clipboard with her notes for the day. “I’m never late. Ever. This is what happens when you let a man get under your skin.” She jogged across the driveway to the barn. The clients weren’t due for another half an hour, but she wanted to meet with Tom early to go over her notes once more to make sure the horses matched the riders.

Her steps slowed as she entered the barn. Tom was talking to one of the employees at the other end of the barn. Since he didn’t immediately notice her, she took her time walking through the building, making sure the tack was all in place according to horse, helmets and riding sticks hung in order of size, horses back in their stalls from the field, and no stray horse droppings or straw littered the barn floor.

As she passed the row of licenses showing their employees were qualified as riding instructors, and she and Tom owners, he turned and waved her over.

“So how did your evening go last night, sweetheart? You danced quite a bit with Denton.”

“Yeah.” She batted her eyes at her friend. “You didn’t have anything to do with it would you, honeybunch?”

Tom laughed, threw an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a hug. “Ah, busted.” He kissed her forehead. “He’s not so bad, you know, Eve. He’s made some mistakes, and I believe he sincerely regrets them. But if he does anything to hurt you again, he’ll find himself lying in a pile of manure, face first.”

Eve grimaced at the image. “Well, I hate to say you’re right, but I did have a good time. I forgot how easy it is to talk to him. Besides, he can’t hurt me if I don’t let him.” She slid the clipboard from under her arm and started flipping through pages. “That doesn’t mean I’m still not mad at him. It’s going to take more than a few dances to get me into his good graces.”

“Give him a run for his money?”

“Yeah,” she muttered, glancing at her watch. “Now, let’s compare notes before our subjects arrive.”

For the next few minutes they walked companionably through the barn looking at stock, comparing horse sizes, and temperaments to clients. The stable of twenty-five horses ranged from duns to piebalds to grays and Appaloosas and included a few ponies for younger riders. Eve loved them all.

“I’ll take the slowest, laziest one with the shortest legs,” Denton said, interrupting Eve and Tom’s decision to pasture a smaller horse needing to be re-shod.

Eve nearly dropped the clipboard at the sound of Denton’s deep voice as she locked the stall door and tacked a note to the front for her staff. Keeping her back to him, she didn’t hide a smile at his nervous tone. By the time she faced him, the smile disappeared, but not the heat that had risen to her face.

“Mornin’, Dent,” Tom said, stepping over to the next stall. “I think old Della here will do fine for you.” He ran a hand down the bay’s forelock, over the blaze markings to her nose and slipped a sugar cube into her mouth. “Eve’s helped so many people learn to ride she’d teach me a few things, and I taught her to ride.”

Denton let out a breath of air and took a few steps closer to the stall. “Good to know.”

“Don’t be misled, Dent,” Eve said, following Tom’s hands down the horse’s face. “Della may be getting on in years, but she’s a horse and horses can pull a few tricks on the unwary.” Denton’s Adam’s apple slipped up and down as he swallowed a gulp. She pressed the clipboard to her chest. “Don’t worry, since I’ll be training you, I won’t let anything happen.”

“To me or the horse?” he asked.

“Good question,” Eve answered over her shoulder as she sauntered away from the men.

                                   ***

Denton raked his fingers through his hair and suppressed a shudder.

“Scared you, didn’t she?”

“And you’re enjoying it, aren’t you?”

“Don’t worry, boy. She’s never let a customer get hurt. Yet.”

Denton breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t get hurt, not physically, anyway, he thought. His emotions were another matter. His heart tripped a little faster as he watched her walk through the barn.

The rest of the group began entering the building. Amazing how, in such a short time, a person learned to recognize someone, even by their black silhouette against the bright sun-lit entrance to the barn. The unmistakable buxom figure of Jackie was outlined in the door.

His breath left him and he quickly searched for a place to hide. After her seduction attempts at the dance, she was the last person he wanted to encounter. He still felt her body pressed against his, his arm muscles even a little sore from trying to stop her from performing the vertical bedroom tango publicly. The next woman to use his body in any way would be Eve, whether she knew it or not.

So desperate to be out of Jackie’s sight, he contemplated leaping over the gate into his horse’s stall and hiding behind her rump, then grabbing a shovel to start mucking out manure or take a hoof pick and clean out her hoofs. Before he could consider the wisdom of doing any of those things, Jackie spotted him.

He groaned. Everyone gathering at the end of the barn turned as she shrilled out his name. He moved toward her. If he moved fast enough, he’d get to the others and mingle, be able to hide among his compatriots, then shove her off on some other, more willing, male in the group.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

About Tina:
As a child, Tina always had stories floating around in her head, but had no idea those stories could be put down in book form. One day her brother (yes, her brother) introduced her to Kathleen Woodiwiss’ The Flame and the Flower. Tina was hooked and a love of reading and eventually writing romance began.  She is also a non-fiction writer with six history books in print.

Tina has been married for over forty years and lives in Wisconsin. After careers in accounting and teaching (not necessarily at the same time), she found her career in writing is what fulfills her the most. When not writing, she loves camping, hiking, photography, reading and playing with her five grandchildren.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.

You can connect with Tina at:
http://tinasusedik.wordpress.com./
Twitter: @tinasusedik
Website: TinaSusedik.com
Facebook: Tina Susedik, Author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17908316-riding-for-love

I ran across this photo from my Scotland trip and it reminded me of a peculiar song sung by children in the 1800's.
"Up the close and down the stair, Up and down with Burke and Hare.. Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief, Knox the man who buys the beef." –anonymous children’s song.

Perhaps this post is more suited for Halloween, but allow me a bit of leeway, as it is a fascinating story, imho. Follow--if you dare...

The above photo (without the parking sign, obviously) is of an watch tower over a graveyard. In the early 1800's, guards were posted to protect those in residence from body snatchers.

Edinburgh at that time was renowned for its advances in knowledge in medical science. However, cadavers needed for research were not readily available, and body snatching from unprotected graveyards became widespread as payment was offered for illegally exhumed corpses. High walls and watch towers were build around many of the graveyards in Edinburgh, and often bodies were kept in a locked room before burial until such a time as the body was too ‘gone’ to be of use to the medical college.

Between 1827 and 1829, what became known as the ‘West Port Murders’, arose two of the most famous body snatchers Scotland has ever known. Two Irishmen named Burke and Hare.

When an old man who owed them money died in the same lodging house with Burke and Hare, they decided to sell his body to cover the debt. They took the body to Dr. Knox who paid them more than 7 pounds, a rather large sum at that time, thus starting the pair on a deadly hunt for more.

Not content to wait for their victims to die naturally, over the next several months, Burke and Hare murdered 15 more people. They preyed on the tenants of their lodging house,, seeking victims who were usually very poor and unlikely to be missed. Soon they began stalking the streets of Edinburgh for strangers, prostitutes, and the homeless.

Finally, a woman’s body was found hidden beneath a bed in a spare room, and Burke and Hare were arrested. Even though there were more than a dozen murders, there wasn’t much evidence, and after a month of questioning, Hare was offered a deal to testify against Burke in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

On January 28, 1829, Burke was hung. His body was turned over to the medical school for dissection, and his skeleton can be seen today at the Edinburgh University Museum.

Hare disappeared, and his date of death is not certain.

It could not be proven that Dr. Knox knew the corpses he purchased from Burke and Hare were murder victims, and he was cleared of wrongdoing. However, his reputation in ruins, he left Scotland shortly after the trial and lived the rest of his life in London.

There is a song sung by Alistair MacDonald that recounts their evil deeds. called, The Shadow of Burke and Hare:

Edinburgh, home of kings, is famous now for other things; For with the night the darkness brings the fear of Burke and Hare.

 Chorus:
Up and down and round the stair, mind your back from Burke and Hare.. Burke’s the killer and Hare’s the thief, and Knox the butcher that buys the beef.

The kirkyard once was where the blessed, thought to lie in peaceful rest, Til like two hoodies from out the nest came Godless Burke and Hare.

And if the Bobby on the beat should spoil the hunt for charnel meat, There’s fresher pickings in the street and they’re the boys to find it.

With ready will they did consign a score of bodies to the brine, These mauchtless souls before their time, they sent unto their Maker.

But catched they were at last by law; “Hang them high,” says one and all; “The devil they served can take the twa- if even he can thole them!”

Up and down and round the stair, mind your back from Burke and Hare.. Burke’s the killer and Hare’s the thief, and Knox the butcher that buys the beef.

From Alistair MacDonald’s CD, Heroes and Legends, Corban http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Corban-Recordings