Playing with Fire has a new look!

Series: Playing With Fire

Titles: Truth or Dare ~ Hide and Seek ~ Spin the Bottle ~ Hot Lava

Author: Anne Conley

Genre: Contemporary Romance Suspense

Publisher: Beyond DEF Publishing Services, LLC

Truth or Dare - Available NOW

Hide and Seek - Available NOW

Spin the Bottle - Releasing October 28, 2019 

Hot Lava - Releasing November 18, 2019

It's just a truth or a dare ... right? 

Some things never go as planned. Nannette’s artistic retreat began with disaster. She’s distracted by a blazing-hot firefighter who thinks she needs a knight in shining armor. And her precious masterpieces have turned into combustible images of her hero.

What is she supposed to do? 

Jude is rethinking everything he’s ever thought about love and desire, and Nannette is the ignition point. The colored swatches of their need are too brilliant to be contained on canvas, and neither of them know how to deal with the embers of desire when they burst into flames.

You can always run, but you can't hide. 

Joey is trapped in a backdraft. His relationship with Simone is going great—until she dumps him. His mother is marrying a younger man, and his station has him in a Santa suit for a fundraiser. Not exactly what he’d call the best lot in life, especially with an arsonist on the loose in Pamona Gulch. 

Things are heating up to dangerous levels. And then he sees her. 

Vivian is licking old wounds and trying to protect the precious heart of her four-year-old daughter. Her ex left her world in cinders, and starting something knew and full of promise leaves her wondering what will remain when the smoke clears.

It all started with a kiss. 

Zane can admit it was a disastrous one. But the odd case of Lettie is one he’s determined to explore. If the stubborn woman would just give him a second chance, she’d see they are explosive together. 

One kiss tells Lettie exactly how things are going to go in a relationship. The lip-lock with Zane is a non-starter, but he won’t take no for an answer. He even opens his home to the shelter animals as she struggles to clean up the smoke damage from the most recent arson fire. 

“Have dog, will love” has to count for something, right? But as Lettie fights to extinguish the sizzling attraction, Zane continues to show her just how well he can create an inferno.

Twice burned is sometimes the key. 

Logan doesn’t do repeats. Ever. It’s a cardinal rule he must live by. Katie was a mistake—one he never would have made if he knew she lived in Pamona Gulch. It would have saved him the slow and steady burn of his lust for the last two years. The need to take Katie back under hand … and command … is stronger than ever now.

With Logan, Katie learned things about herself she’d never known. How desire could be a precision-cut diamond forged in the hottest temperatures. How guided mastery could lead her to unattainable heights. And now she’s left in the cold, running to find that same high.

Into the arms of a dangerous blaze. 

Desire flares when Logan saves her. What’s between them is undeniable, but with the arsonist caught and anger sparking, will it snuff out what’s growing, or will it only add fuel to the fire?

Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She’s been writing for public consumption for the past several years. Currently, she has five romance series and one in the works. Stories of Serendipity explores real people living real lives in small-town Texas. The Four Winds chronicles God’s four closest archangels—Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael—falling in love and becoming human. Pierce Securities is comprised of nine books that follow a crew of misfits who come together to fight crime and also find love along the way. The Book B!tches is all about a group of women in Mystic, Texas, who get into all sorts of shenanigans while trying to dodge the serial killer targeting the town. Playing with Fire is filled with sizzling-hot firemen and plenty of suspense and mystery with an arsonist on the loose. Rocco Securities, a Pierce Securities spinoff, is coming soon. 

 She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.

HOSTED BY:

Guest Post ~ Ciara Ballintyne ~ Tangled Lights and Silent Nights

Meet Alloran – the fantasy equivalent of a mad scientist, whose stock in trade is magic, not science.

I conceived of Alloran after reading The Accidental Sorcerer by K.E. Mills. The main character in that book has a friend, Monk Markham, who is a brilliant wizard constantly dabbling in things he shouldn’t—and getting away with it.

And I thought—but what if he didn’t? What if his hubris had consequences?

Poor Alloran has been plagued with mishaps, and in The Seven Circles of Hell he stumbles from disaster to disaster, in each book trying to put right what he made wrong in the last. Maybe he should just stop. Maybe it’s time to call it quits.

But he has itchy fingers, and he can’t put a puzzle down once he’s picked it up—and what’s a poor wizard to do when his best friend is on the loose, trying to destroy him, and, incidentally, the world?

Events all started a long time ago in a galaxy… I mean, just a long time ago. Alloran is more than a hundred years old, and when we meet him in Confronting the Demon, he’s abandoned his research and has committed himself to a life of carousing. Because if you don’t behave seriously, people can’t expect you to solve serious problems, right?

It seems like a sensible decision—if you are addicted to something bad, the general wisdom is to give it up. But Alloran gets sucked back in when he’s framed for summoning demons and winds up on the run while someone is murdering his friends.

So that’s how he got back into magic. But why did he quit in the first place?

Alloran was the man who discovered how to open gates into hell—which is why everyone thinks he summoned the one in Confronting the Demon. His research was burned and demon summoning banned, so who else could it be?

That first ill-fated foray into the hells, what was to be Alloran’s crowning glory, turned into a disaster that made him the man we meet in Confronting the Demon.

When I was asked to write a Christmas story for Tangled Lights and Silent Nights, my first thought was ‘how do you write a Christmas story in the epic fantasy genre?’ Then when I gave it some more thought, I realised I had a story that needed telling, that some readers had been asking for—the story of that first imp he summoned from hell, that started events in motion.

"Another Bloody Festival" is that story—how it all went terribly wrong for Alloran—set against the backdrop of the winter solstice—because is there a better time of year for a demon to be loose in the halls?

READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Ciara Ballintyne grew up on a steady diet of adult epic fantasy from the age of nine, leaving her with a rather confused outlook on life – she believes the good guys should always win, but knows they often don’t. She is an oxymoron; an idealistic cynic.

She began her first attempts at the craft of writing in 1992, culminating in the publication of her debut work, Confronting the Demon, in 2013. Her first book to be published with Evolved Publishing is In the Company of the Dead.

She holds degrees in law and accounting, and is a practising financial services lawyer. In her spare time, she speculates about taking over the world – how hard can it really be? If she could be anything, she’d choose a dragon, but if she is honest she shares more in common with Dr. Gregory House of House M.D. – both the good and the bad. She is a browncoat, a saltgunner, a Whedonite, a Sherlockian, a Ringer and a Whovian… OK, most major geek fandoms. Her alignment is chaotic good. She is an INTJ.

Ciara lives in Sydney, Australia, with her two daughters and a growing menagerie of animals that unfortunately includes no dragons.

Links:

Twitter: @CiaraBallintyne

Facebook: http://facebook.com/CiaraBallintyne

Website: http://ciaraballintyne.com

OTHER BOOKS BY CIARA BALLINTYNE

The Seven Circles of Hell

Confronting the Demon

Stalking the Demon

Becoming the Demon

Being the Demon (coming soon)

The Sundered Oath

In the Company of the Dead

On the Edge of Death

To Make the Dead Weep

My Adventures in Houston at #Babit-Otherwise Known as Books Are Bigger in Texas #BABB

So... This weekend, I took a little trip to Houston, Texas, for the Books are Bigger in Texas Author Event put on by Eye Candy Bookstore...

OMG.  It was amazing.  Soooo organized.  I had a feeling, leading up to the event, it would be.  All of my invoices were accounted for, labeled correctly, and every time I had a question, Kellie answered it almost as soon as I asked it.

But these things scare the hell out of me.

First off, let me preface by saying this is my second-to-last scheduled event ever.  At this point in time, I don't have any planned events in 2017 and only one left for 2016.  After the last several events I've done, I've come to realize events are like a box of chocolates, and lately they've been more and more orange-creme filled left over from three Valentine's Days ago...

This one, though, was a TRUFFLE!  FROM THIS YEAR!

The hotel was Marriott, at the Woodlands, which is a rather upscale hotel, in a pretty sheltered part of Houston, and an artwalk was happening at the venue as well, so I automatically felt classier just for my arrival.

So, me and the hub-meister go in and get checked in, unpacked, and go back down to the restaurant to see who we can see, because that's what I do.  People I don't know freak me out.  So if I don't know them, I introduce myself.  That way, they're not strangers, and I feel better about things.  It helps though, if I have a beer in my hand.  There weren't too many strangers going on, because first thing, I ran into an old friend Mary Palmerin author of Gwendolyn and the Band of Barren Hearts and The Emancipation of Love, among other dark twisty romances...

She was there with Ashleigh Giannocarro, her co-author on a new dark, twisty series, the Goodbye Man and Goodbye Girl.  Now, Ashleigh is about as big as my pinky finger and cuter than a freaking button.  She's from South Africa, so her accent is amazing, but I didn't really get to talk to her much until Sunday morning.

Now, Mary and I had met before at events in Houston and Austin, so we had a good time catching up, and I was starting to relax about the stranger situation.  The hotel was very peaceful and pretty, and I was drinking.  Their beer was nasty but I managed to choke it down before switching to margaritas.  They actually made the margaritas out of something besides mixer and tequila, so they were quite pricey, but delicious.  And they weren't much more expensive than the gross beer, so I stuck with that, much to my detriment.  I will truly never learn... But strangers are reeeeaaally scary...

Before Ashleigh and Mary left, Stephanie got there.  Stephanie's a reader, and blogger, and works with bookie people, having a new PR type business, Between the Coverz.  And I've known her my entire life.  Can you see the photo-bomber?  You'll see him again, most likely.  That's the hub-meister, and sort of his thing...



Before I knew it, Fabie and Kristie Haigwood's flight got there, Jess daBookNut finally got out of traffic, and the Book Bitches arrived, so I had a crowd of peeps I was comfortable around, and the margaritas were delicious, so things got way fun... We caught up on things, we ate dinner, we met new people, and had more fun than a bunch of women had a right to.

Yeah... those margaritas were goooood...

The next morning, I regretted them all.  See, I do this every damn signing.  I get there, so freaking nervous I can't stand myself.  And I watch the hub-meister interact with everyone while I sit there, being all scared.  It works out though.  He's gaining a reputation as the mouthpiece of my business and in New Orleans, he managed to chat up Abbie Glines without having a clue who she was.  Anyway, hub-meister talks to people, while I silently drink, and by the time I'm loose enough to interact and network (i.e. make friends) I'm just drunk enough to not care about the signing tomorrow.

What?  The signing's tomorrow?

The signing was AH-mazing!!!!  So many people!  I say that, but when I looked up and saw this...

Yeah, when I looked up and saw this, I almost crapped my hungover pants.

Here's what it looked like from the other side, about an hour later...

Duuuuuuude....

There was no down time to be bored.  I was worried about a five-hour signing, afraid it was going to be too long.  I honestly thought there would be slow times, but no.  Every time I snuck out to go pee, I came back to this.  It was awesome.

Devon Ryan, my cover model, came and listened to me pitch my books for a while, before (I guess) he got bored hearing me say the same thing over and over and decided to give it a go.  I have NEVER heard a cover model pitch a book, but Devon goes about things differently, and it was really cool to have him take a personal stake in my books.  And he's a total cutie, we're friends, and someone actually by the time it was all over, asked if he was my kid.  I'm choosing to believe it's because he looks so young, and not that I look old enough to have a 27-year-old kid.  But she said we had a real 'chill' relationship, and we looked like we'd worked together before, so it ended up being a serious complement.


I met sooo many bloggers and readers.  Seriously.  And the craziness of it, is that KS Haigwood and I worked so well together.  I mean, we've written books together, so I know we work well together, but it was awesome to feel us interacting in person.  It was like a spark crackled between us, and we played off each other so well.

 

And this guy was there... I'd seen him, knew he was somebody's model, but never realized exactly who he was...

I had an entire conversation with him about bird poop, and when he introduced himself to Devan, I realized it's this guy...

Which, it's probably a good thing I didn't know that.  This is a coveted picture on my laptop, one which I look at often.  If I had known I was talking to tattooed ripped jeans guy, I wouldn't have been able to find enough spit in my mouth to form words.  He was incredible, though.  Lance Jones is funny, down-to-earth, and super nice.  Now that I know that, I'm anxious to work with him on some future project.

Other models were there, but it was so busy, I had to send Fabie off with my phone to take pics.  I had a reader who couldn't make it to the event request them, and the ever-accommodating girl that I am, sent Fabie.  She took it like a trooper.

 

Hillary Storm's cover model, Dylan Horsch, was also super sweet, but I didn't get much time to talk to him, either.  But he was always smiling, and that was nice to look at.

To be honest, I always have a hard time reconciling the model's face with the book cover I'm used to seeing them on.  He was a total badass on the cover of Ice, but definitely a sweet heart in person.

Since Hilary is one of the admins of Eye Candy Bookstore, I feel the need to say once again, what a great job everyone did with this event.  It wasn't centered on the models, even though here I am posting all about them.  But they are an experience in and of themselves, so I feel the need to make them a part of the post.

Fabie got more pictures, but they didn't turn out well, so I'm leaving those off.

Bloggers I met included Terrie, from Just Another Book Bitch.  She's been a long-time fan of my Four Winds series, and one of the first people to tell me it needed a book five.  She has no idea how integral she was in helping me finish that series.  The hub-meister (Photobombing) will tell the world it is his brain child, but Terrie honestly was the impetus for each subsequent book in the series.  I would start each one with, 'I can't wait for Terrie to read this.'




I also met the ladies from Alpha Book Review, who were a hoot, and I (or Devon, I'm not sure.  The hub-meister even got in on the pitching, so there's no telling who actually sold anyone on the books) got them to try out some of my books.  Always a treat!  This one's Tina. She was super sweet, but they all wore matching shirts, and it was awesome.

Bloggers are so important to this industry.  Honestly, without bloggers, their reviews, their promo, and their selflessness, we wouldn't have an industry.  For the most part, they don't get paid to do their job.  They do it because they are passionate about books.  Period.

Yes.  I heart bloggers. Hard.





The next morning, I hadn't slept a wink all night, because I was so wired from the experience.  I laid in bed, vibrating, while the hub-meister snored next to me until Kristie texted me to come plot with her.  I'd never done that in person, so off I went.  Problem was, it was 11:00 at night, my voice was gone, and someone had stuck sand paper to the backs of my eyelids, so it didn't last long.  By 1:00 I was snoozing in my own room, next to hubbie.  BTW, book three in the Moonrising series will be epic.

But the next morning, I learned all about the ins and outs of South Africa and how it compared to the US, while I inhaled too much coffee with Ashleigh Giannocaro after Mary and Di had gone to the airport.  It was a nice, relaxing finale to the weekend before heading off to breakfast with my brother.  It was lovely.

The drive home with the hub-meister was filled with reflections.  I have done three events that were as amazing as this one.  It's almost made me rethink my no more event policy...

But now, I'm totally stoked about the Thunder Valley Author Event in Oklahoma City in September.  I have high hopes for that one, and am learning that the more events I do, the fewer strangers there are...

#NewRelease from Anne Conley in the Pierce Securities Series, Grab #BaBB #GRABit #HotReads

Jordan Rocco has just received a medical discharge from the Marines and is now working with his brother, Evan, at Pierce Securities. He's struggling to find his place among these men who have a brotherhood that doesn't seem to include him. Jordan's only saving grace is the woman across the hall in his apartment building, with her smart mouth and tight curves. 

Mia is wholly focused on making enough money at her crappy job to bring her sister home to live with her, instead of globe-trotting with her mother and the latest in a long line of losers. A boyfriend is not in the cards. But a couple of nights with the hottie across the hallway—to release some pent-up frustrations—wouldn’t be remiss. When she's grabbed from her apartment in the night, Jordan witnesses the crime, helpless to stop things. 

He's suddenly got a new mission: Before the worst can happen, he has to save the woman who has come to mean more to him than he realized. 

***WARNING*** This book has a vague description of events that may cause triggers.

“Hey there, Jordan.  Rough day?”

He shrugged, turning to face her.  She was a hottie, but totally tired.  Dark circles etched around her eyes made the lines around her mouth more pronounced.   “I just hate my job.  That’s all.  No biggie.”

Rueful laughter met his ears.  “Who doesn’t?  Tequila?”  She held up a half-empty bottle they’d started the other night, and shook it. 

“Sure, what the hell.  But not much.  You need to get some sleep.”  Closing his door behind him, he took the two steps across the hall to her room.  She waited tables at a diner a few blocks away, all the time. 

“You trying to say I look like ass?”  As she stepped aside to let him in, Jordan tried not to brush against her pajama clad body, nor notice the fact all she wore was shorty shorts and a camisole, all in thin thread-bare cotton.  Nearly see-through.  Every curve on display.

No attachments.  But that didn’t mean sex was off the table, as long as she understood the stakes.  Or his lack of desire for stakes. 

“No, you look fine, but that set of luggage you’re wearing under your eyes could use some leather oil,” he tried to joke, but felt bad immediately when he saw her stricken face.  “Hey, wait.  I was kidding.  Don’t get all mad.  How long has it been since you had a day off?”  She waited tables every damn day, as far as he could tell.

She shrugged as she got shot glasses down from the cabinet in the kitchenette.  “Two weeks, or three.  Not sure.  Had a double today, that’s why I’m so tired.”  The house had been busted into four tiny apartments, each one a small living room with an attached kitchen.  So when Mia turned around, Jordan was there, bumping into her.

“Then let me wait on you for a change,” he whispered.  He watched the pulse on her neck pound rapidly, and her breasts heave with heavier breaths.  That was good.  So she wouldn’t be opposed to sex.  He hadn’t thought so, but affirmation was nice.  “Salt?”

She nodded, reaching behind her to grab the shaker, and handed it to him, wordless, enormous brown eyes tracking his movements.  Mia’s shoulder and neck were calling out to him, that smooth expanse of bronzed skin was so beautiful.  Just to test something, Jordan lowered his head, and suckled there, leaving a small kiss behind.

Her sharp inhale was accompanied by her fingers immediately clamping down on the countertop.  Good.

Swiping his tongue across her shoulder, he left a long wet trail that he sprinkled salt across.  “I like you, Mia,” he began.  He needed to get everything out up front.  “I think we could have some fun, don’t you?”  She nodded, looking at him from half-closed eyes.  Sexy fucking eyes.  Eyes that told him to fuck her right now.  But he wasn’t going to do it like that.  Not tonight.  “Good.  Because neither of us has time for strings, right?”  He was looking at her, really close, but he wasn’t touching her, just looking.

“You want to have sex, right?  No relationships?” she breathed.  “I’m totally down with that.”  She gasped the words out at him, and he mentally high fived himself before swiping his tongue across the line of salt, tasting her shoulder with relish before swigging straight from the bottle of tequila.

When he went in for a kiss, she stopped him with a finger on his lips.  “You did it wrong, hot shot.”

That was one of the things he really liked about Mia.  She was cool.  Almost like one of the guys, only she had tits and a pussy, and an ass men would die for.  And Jordan had an erection that would jackhammer concrete, and she was telling him he was doing it wrong?

Yeah, she was golden at getting his mind off his shitty job.

Smirking now, he took a step back, hands up.  “Teach it, oh mighty one.”

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