so much news
May 29, 2023 7:38 pm
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What’s new?
Time has been kicking my butt. I missed sending you the alert that Snaring Her Man is now live. Thanks again to everyone who helped name the band and characters. Stay tuned for the paperback version. I promise to let you know when it is ready for you on Amazon.
I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day with your loved ones. I’m house-sitting for another friend in another neighborhood in Kailua. Meet my buddy Churro. He’s a little snack with lots of energy.
This neighborhood is so nice, except for one thing. The “pigeons” here are peacocks. They are loud at all times of the day and night, and they think everybody’s property is theirs.
No yard, street, or roof is safe from these menaces. And my buddy Churro thinks he's bigger than he is, trying to run them off. True small dog with big dick energy.
Tell me, what’s the most exotic animal you’ve come across on a walk?
What’s next?
The year is almost half over, but there are still many projects to be completed. In order to complete this ambitious schedule, I’ve had to limit my social media and Patreon posts. My time management doesn’t always take into consideration things like anxiety, but I’m doing my best to fulfill these release dates. I’ll let you know when the pre-orders go up.
Before then, don’t you want to see what our Savage Authors have lined up for you in the new Savage Bosses anthology? Well, beginning June 5th, we’re all doing our cover reveals in the Savage Romance group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/savageromancecollections
Each day, a Savage Author will take over the group with games and giveaways. My day is June 14th and I can’t wait to see you then.
You can preorder this limited-edition collection now for only 99cts on your favorite reading platform at: https://books2read.com/savagebosses
💼 Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3EjVKG1
💼 Stay in the Know: https://bit.ly/3tNTXlV
💼 Join our blogger team: https://bit.ly/3DBG0N4
Next in the lineup is my story for the Vows & Vendettas anthology. It’s a short mafia romance called Stolen Bride. And wooee, do I love this couple! Don’t get me wrong, I love the cinnamon-roll heroes, but I keep coming back to my alpha mafia bosses for a reason. This couple is no less intriguing. They were inspired by a patreon one-shot, and when I tell you they steam up the pages… I don’t know if y’all are ready for them. Their story would not leave me alone while I was trying to finish up Snaring Her Man, and I know you’ll understand why when you read their story.
But Melverna, what’s it about? Here’s a snippet of the blurb:
The Hairstons and Arroyos have been killing each other for longer than I’ve been alive. My father’s solution is to offer me up as the sacrificial lamb, the Hairston’s sheltered oldest daughter.
To do so my father has contracted the most successful promnestria around to broker peace through an arranged marriage. The man is supposed to find the Arroyo most likely to end the war between our families.
No one expects the matchmaker to take one look at me and steal me away. Or that a new war will break out with me in the middle.
Sneak Peek
Want to know more about Stolen Bride? You know I wouldn’t leave you hanging without a preview. Enjoy this first chapter of your next wild new ride:
Today marks the first day in my countdown to a new kind of captivity. To commemorate the occasion, my irreverent sisters have decorated my sitting room with lavish symbols representing my new status as the Hairstons’ first sacrificial lamb. Although I am the first, neither of us doubts our father, Lavaughn, intends to do the same with Kayla and Trinity. He’ll stop at nothing to make the Hairstons the most powerful family in the world.
One thing for the old man is his ambitions aren’t small.
Kayla, my middle sister, raises her mimosa and bows her head. “We gather on this day to show our support of our older sister, Aniyah. As she throws herself on the pyre to end this long-standing war with the Arroyos, we pray that her intended will not be a pompous asshole and will know how to give tons of orgasms.”
In an overdone performance, Kayla does a dance that reminds me of the banquet in Coming to America, all the while holding her mimosa like a sacred item. I try to withhold my laughter, but I fail. The moment of levity lightens my distress, even if only for a second.
While I sit on a raised dais in front of the open balcony overlooking the Aegean Sea, dressed in a gauzy Greek-style dress with my braids in a braided coronet—my sisters go all out for their vision—the reality awaiting me will not allow me to enjoy their full efforts. Soft breeze and the noise from mating sea birds filter in. If only the peaceful surroundings could magically spread to calm my chaotic thoughts.
“Kay, how long do you plan to play this out?” Trinity’s question causes Kayla to stumble to a halt.
Kayla glances at me, then gulps her drink.
“Haven’t you noticed Aniyah isn’t enjoying all this?” Trinity joins me on the dais and pours me another glass. Sunlight bounces off the charm bracelet on her wrist.
Kayla and I have matching bracelets, a gift from our mother. Whereas Kayla and I wear ours for special occasions, Trinity never takes hers off.
“Sorry, I got carried away.” Kayla slumps beside me, sandwiching me between them.
We must look like the muses from the animated Hercules film if they were all short with thick curves. We look gorgeous and sexy and it should make me feel some level of confidence, but that kind of self-assurance is noticeably missing for me today.
I shrug. “Joy will be fleeting until I know what that stranger decides.”
“Aren’t you curious, though? We’d never heard what a promnestria was until a few weeks ago. And to think Dad would give up that type of control over our futures is unheard of.” Despite sharing my anxiousness, an inquisitive light brightens Trinity’s eyes. She always finds hope in hopeless situations and her smile usually works to brighten everyone’s day.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this mysterious person with my fate in his hands intrigues me. He brokers peace for families like ours by arranging marriages. After all the losses we’ve suffered, I understand why my father thinks he must relinquish the hold he’s had on my life until now.
The only reason he married and had kids was to further his aspirations. First, he married my mother to solidify his foothold in the Tri-state area. Now, my marriage to the Arroyos will give him a foothold in Mexico. Lavaughnn Hairston has controlled every aspect of my and my sisters’ lives from our birth until now, yet I continued to hope that this would be one area I could make my own choice.
“Here, have a slice of disappointment cake.” Kayla offers me a plate with strawberry mango cheesecake. “It can’t change things but it’s sweet.”
I take the offering, knowing that Kayla and Trinity have no idea that there’s more at stake than a simple marriage. The dense dessert could have been baked with gold and honey but all I taste is mud and ash. Nevertheless, I fork another mouthful; I have more serious problems than the cake. I’m not a great actress and withholding information from the two closest people in my life has been agony.
My father’s implacable image rises before me. I am begging him to reconsider the task he set me. My tears do not move him, but his response will be forever etched in my memory.
Kayla and Trinity have never met that side of him and I never want them to. He revealed the depth of his cold heart to me on that day. Although I’m not brave in any sense of the word, I will protect my sisters from ever glimpsing his true nature. Especially Kayla. She is the only one of us brave enough to stage mild rebellions. Thankfully, they only humor our father. Otherwise, I fear the many ways he could crush her spirit. Trinity, thankfully, lives blissfully under his thumb, her personality so obliging that she rarely recognizes his despotic behavior for what it is. Her smiling response to everything assures me she will live well as long as I do as my father commands.
“Which Arroyo do you think you’ll have to marry?” Trinity asks.
I shrug. “Does it matter? They’re all responsible for killing someone we know. Even our brother fell victim to their bloodthirsty actions.”
Lavaugnn Junior’s death caused my father to open negotiations with the Arroyos and put me on this path with no escape. My brother protected us from our father, but now I must take up the mantle. I wish I could do as good a job as Junior, but being a woman puts me at a disadvantage in Father’s eyes.
“Pray it isn’t Ignacio,” Kayla voices my fear. “I heard he has a Hairston’s hit list that he brags about. He awards points, money, and elaborate gifts to his men as an incentive to kill us. Worse, I think he’s the one that offed LJ.”
“Maybe it’s a distant Arroyo cousin who doesn’t live the life.” Trinity squeezes my hand, her optimism in full force.
“As impossible as it is to believe, Ignacio is Father’s choice. The Arroyo family resisted. Remember how many months passed before we and the Arroyos agreed to leave it in the hands of the matchmaker?” I set the plate with my half-eaten cake onto a side table, unable to fake receiving any pleasure from it.
“Yeah, but there’s still hope because there’s no guarantee that he will choose Ignacio.” Trinity jumps up and paces before us. “One good thing about that family is how prolific they are. There are tons of options. I’ve been putting vibes out there to manifest the best option for you. My mind is strong so as long as you and Kayla are with me, it must come true.”
Trinity’s optimism thaws a small corner of my heart enough to engender a fleeting smile. “Thanks, sis.”
“How much time do we have left?” Kayla asks, looking toward the clock.
Instantly my heart freezes with the reminder. “Dad is probably wooing the promnestria in a last-ditch effort to choose Ignacio. It’s the whole reason he opted to meet here instead of back home in Chicago.”
Trinity stops pacing and slams her fist into her palm. “Well then, you aren’t inebriated enough for your upcoming meeting. Time for a drinking game.” She rushes to bring the stronger cocktails closer.
I shake my head at her eagerness. “Y’all know that I can’t be visibly drunk in front of our father.”
“True,” Kayla agrees. “But you need to be drunk and relaxed enough that the matchmaker won’t call off the whole thing. There’s no telling what Dad will do if things don’t go his way today and we’ll do anything to avoid making you the scapegoat.”
The solemn frown on Kayla’s face makes me wonder if she knows more about Dad’s real disposition and what circumstances made him reveal himself to her.
Trinity clears her throat. “Well, if we aren’t making a game of it, then let’s all take a drink with each good wish we want to manifest from the meeting downstairs.”
“I’m on board.” I hold out my hand and wait for my drink.
Kayla raises her glass to offer the first toast. “May the matchmaker’s choice give Niyah the freedom she’s never had as a Hairston.”
“Here here,” Trinity and I say before downing our drinks.
“My turn,” Trinity says after refilling our glasses. “May you no longer have to be on the sidelines and find a starring role in your life’s story.”
“Here here,” Kayla and I say, although mine is less boisterous.
I’ve known for forever that I’m a terrible actress, but to know my sisters have seen the extent of what I’ve hidden about myself saddens me. We continue to down our cocktails until a sweet lassitude enters my limbs.
“You look much better.” Kayla squeezes me with a sheen in her eyes.
Before I can respond, a knock at the door precedes my father’s trusted advisor, Wiz, entering the room. “Aniyah, it’s time.”
I nod to him while not meeting his gaze. Wiz has a way about him that puts me on edge. Even now, my sisters’ efforts to loosen me up for my meeting with destiny drop away the closer I get to him. Wiz’s eyes roam my body and I barely have the wherewithal to keep my hands at my sides. One upside to Dad’s ambitions is Wiz will never rise higher in the organization by marrying one of the Hairston girls.
Wiz leads me downstairs. I try to keep pictures of my sisters and me at the forefront of my mind. They are the reason I’m doing all this. Otherwise, Dad will unleash his true nature on them. Our sheltered upbringing will pale in comparison to his plans to crush them. Kayla’s mild rebellions will be met with outsized punishment. Trinity, whose easygoing nature can put up with just about anything, will be crushed until all her hopes fade into blackness.
Instead of the office, Wiz heads toward the open-air sitting room. My hackles rise. The room is luxuriously appointed with neutral fabrics and relaxing furniture designed to make people drop their guard. He is up to something, but I don’t have a clue what his intentions are or what my play is.
As our footsteps echo against the marble flooring, my brain buzzes with possibilities. From what I know, today is my father’s first face-to-face meeting with the matchmaker, but they’ve exchanged many communications over the past few weeks. So why this deception?
I grab Wiz’s arm despite all the years I refused to touch him. “I don’t need you to take me inside.”
He glances at the place I hold his arm and I retract my hand. With pinched lips, he nods and walks away, his posture stiff with disapproval.
Anxiety burns away the last effects of the alcohol I consumed earlier and I step in front of the closed doors separating me from my future. One deep breath follows another until I slow the thudding of my heart. Silent prayers to keep my composure and perform swirl in my mind until I can’t hear anything else. Slowly, I take the handle and turn it. A few minutes after entering this room I will learn the name of the man I’ll have to kill.
Preorder your copy today: Vows & Vendettas
Beautiful Soul Book Club
Want more books featuring heroines of color? Every month I’ll share an amazing author from this wonderful initiative. This month is Dreia Wells’ book Mister Crunch
Meet May’s Seductive Sinners
From USA Today Bestselling Author Silla Webb comes a tragic Romantic Suspense based on a true crime event.
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From bestselling dark romance author Lauren Biel comes a novella that has tested even the most seasoned dark romance readers!
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