Hitched by Christine Manzari

Title: Hitched

Series: Hearts of Stone #2

(can be read as standalone)

Author: Christine Manzari

Genre: New Adult Romance

Release Date: March 21, 2017

For aspiring journalist Harlow Ransom, life is just a well-oiled machine, and if she plans well, all things will go accordingly. And that is exactly why Harlow lives her life by perfectly polished to-do lists that she refuses to stray from—even when she's celebrating her 21st birthday in Sin City.

1. Visit the Boom Boom Blues Lounge

2. See the water show at the Bellagio

Things can't possibly go askew if she crosses things off her list one by one. But after a night of celebrating leads to waking up in bed with a sexy stranger and a ring on her finger, Harlow realizes that in no point in time did she ever have "Get Married" on her trusty to-do list. Yet that's exactly what she did. 

Professional snowboarder Trace Stone loves a good challenge—he's all about the win. And this time, he's going to find a way to win over the feisty, meticulous Harlow. The wedding may have been spontaneous and impulsive, but when he said "forever," he meant it. Now, the only thing he wants on Harlow's to-do list is him—from this day forward.

I released a defeated breath as I felt my body collapse further into the seat. “Why do you even want to stay married to me, Trace?” He was cocky and impulsive and charming. I couldn’t understand why he was fighting so hard to hold on to someone as prickly as me.

His eyes met mine—possessive, dark, and hungry. I was caught by surprise when he leaned forward to press his mouth against mine. His tongue and lips pulled a smoldering kiss out of me, and I didn’t even try to stop him. I was burning—absolutely burning from the inside out—from the fierce way his mouth clung to mine. Trace pulled back to look at me. 

Wow. A kiss like that in less than three seconds? No wonder the hotel room was littered with condoms. No wonder I married him.

“Because,” he said, holding my gaze. “I want to be able to do that any time I feel like it.” He ran his thumb across my bottom lip. His voice dropped, low and husky. “And because I like the idea that you’d be mine.” 

His. To do that to any time he wanted. I could almost hear my body singing the “Hallelujah” chorus in response. I wanted to beg him to move that hand lower and push me into the final crescendo. Make me see stars. I should be pissed that he was trying to lay claim on me, but no matter how much I tried to deny it, I liked Trace. And trying to say no to him got harder each and every time he charmed me.

For a moment I wondered if being his would be such a bad thing. 

His?

I was in so much trouble.

The first thing Christine does when she's getting ready to read a book is to crack the spine in at least five places. She wholeheartedly believes there is no place as comfy as the pages of a well-worn book. She's addicted to buying books, reading books, and writing books. She even turned her dining room into a library—reading is more important than eating. She also has a weakness for adventure and inappropriate humor. Christine is from Forest Hill, Maryland where she lives with her husband, three kids, and her library of ugly spine books. 

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Blackwell by Alexandrea Weis

Title: Blackwell

Author: Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor

Genre: Gothic Romance

Published: January 17, 2017 

Hell has a new master

In the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all.

When Magnus meets Jacob O’Conner—a Harvard student from the working class—an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets.

Devastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him.

Amid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies.

"5 Revenge is a dish best served.....with a side of Voodoo stars!" - The Book Sirens 

“This book was cleverly written. Set in Boston and New Orleans, I was spellbound by the narrative.” - Reader Review 

"Alexandrea Weis pulls the reader into a dark and fated tale of catastrophic jealousy;" - The Reading Cafe

Leaving the firelight, he headed toward the water, eager to learn more about the woman. Beyond the glare of the bonfire, his eyes were better able to take in her figure. Her nightdress was torn in places and had dark splotches on it in others. She stood at the water’s edge, her feet hidden below the surface of the bayou. As he drew closer, Magnus got a better view of her exquisite face. Her pale, snowy skin glowed in the darkness, and her features were perfect except for a scar above her right lip. He ached to help her, to guide her from the water and back to the warmth of the fire.​  

“Are you all right?”​  

She titled her head to the side as she examined him. Then without saying anything, she held out her hand to him.​  

Magnus could hear a woman’s voice saying, Magnus, come with me, in his head, but her lips never moved. He was entranced, drawn to her, and just as he was raising his hand to take hers, another hand clamped down on his wrist. ​

“Magnus, no, don’t touch her,” Madam Simone called out. ​

The spell was broken, and the woman in the water faded away. ​

Magnus gawked at the water. “What?”​ 

“I told you to stay close to the fire,” she admonished.​

He pointed to the water. “You saw her? Who was that?”​

Madam Simone let go of his arm. “You mean what was that, don’t you?”​

“I don’t understand.”​

She waved her long stick out over the water. “That was a spirit called by the ceremony. She often appears when we perform our rituals on the bayou.”​

“You know her?” The shock was evident in his voice.​

“She’s the spirit of one who sacrificed herself for love many years ago. She was the quadroon mistress of a wealthy white man who spurned her and her unborn child.”

Magnus removed his hat and wiped his hand over his brow, feeling shaky. “So you are telling me I just saw a ghost?”

Madam Simone chuckled at his reaction. “The world is not everything you see, Magnus. Ghosts are as real as you or I. They are the impression left behind by a life ended in misery, pain, or confusion. The spirits trapped or bound to earth are the ones who haunt. The ones who have found peace are the ones who leave.”

“Where do they go?”​

She gave him a sad smile. “That all depends on what you believe. Heaven, hell, paradise—take your pick. We have more names for the world that comes after than we do for the one we currently inhabit. I think that speaks volumes about our capacity for hope.”​

Magnus took an unsteady breath as his eyes returned to the water. “What about her? The girl in the water? Will she ever find peace and move on?”​

“No.” Madam Simone shook her head and, gathering up her skirt, took a step away from the shore. “She has chosen to remain here.”​

“Chosen?” he shouted. “Are you telling me she had a choice?”​

“We all choose in life and in death, Magnus.” She glanced back at him. “That is why we have souls—to make that choice.”

​Magnus could still hear the voice of the spirit calling to him in his head. “I think she spoke to me. She knew my name.”

​ “Spirits often bring messages from the dead. Do you know anyone who has recently died?”

​He shook his head. “No, no one.”

​Madam Simone motioned ahead to the bonfire. “Let’s get back to the fire.”

​Returning his hat to his head, Magnus followed her up the bank. “I’m not sure what I witnessed, Madam Simone, but I no longer think I’m a skeptic.”

​She grinned as they walked along. “Good. Then the ceremony served its purpose.”

“What purpose?”

​Madam Simone kept her eyes focused on the firelight. “To prepare your soul for what is to come.”

From New Orleans, Alexandrea Weis was raised in the motion picture industry and began writing stories at the age of eight. In college she studied nursing and went on to teach at a local university. After several years in the medical field, she decided to pick up the pen once again and began her first novel, To My Senses. Since that time she has published many novels. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her award-winning books, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story memorable. Her work has been critically acclaimed and has been continually growing in popularity. 

Alexandrea Weis is also a certified/permitted wildlife rehaber with the La. Wildlife and Fisheries. When she is not writing, she rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She is married; they live in New Orleans.

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