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Aspiring artist Delaney Harper sails to New Orleans after her mother’s death. On the night of her arrival, she’s welcomed by a masked stranger who steals one breathless kiss. Alderic Beaumont is a fallen aristocrat. Once a corsair and now a smuggler, he’s a force to be reckoned with. On the night of his friend’s celebration, he’s captured by an irresistible beauty. He kisses her, promising to find her come morning. By then, Delaney’s world has crumbled—the truth about her mother reveals Delaney now owns a brothel. With Alderic, Delaney embarks on a path of intrigue and passion. Her wit and artistic skills help conceal her identity and restore the once-prestigious bordello...but her deceptions could cost her Alderic’s heart.

The Painted Lady is available at Amazon.

  

“This door was locked.”

Alderic was perched on her pillow, one arm resting behind his head. “No lock can keep me out of something I wish to explore, Madame,” he replied. He swung his legs off her bed and stood up in one swift motion.

She lifted her chin at him. “You are out of character this evening, monsieur.” 

“Why the shroud, Madame? Are you covering a terrible wart of some sort? Scars from the pox, perhaps?”

She grinned. “Maybe.”

He used both his hands to flank her, trapping her between his body and the vanity. “Or maybe you know what an arousing enigma it makes you?”

“You are prying, monsieur,” she said. “I wish you to leave now.”

  “I can do that,” he said, the corner of his mouth upturning just a bit, “as soon as I collect my winnings.”

It was difficult to appear unmoved as his hand lightly grazed the line of her jaw. “Why did you not collect earlier? That would have been far more appropriate,” she said.

He chuckled. “You speak of propriety in a bordello?” Then his humor faded as his thumb fiddled with the diamond dangling from her ear. “You were shaking. You are frightened of me, Madame.”

“Monsieur Beaumont.” Delaney scoffed. “I am a madam, and I’ve known many men. I do not fear you.”

  “You are only playing Madame,” he said as his eyes captured her, searching hers for a long moment. “What is underneath all that color, I wonder.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Avery Sterling's love for the romance genre began in her teen years when she picked up her first novel. She was captivated by the sweeping scale of emotions brought about by the words. The experience catapulted her towards learning the art of wielding a breathtaking adventure, with a love that felt authentic. Wanting to inspire people with her own thoughts and words, she finished her first novel at sixteen. It was a step towards understanding the essence of what she wished to create.

Most of her youth was spent traveling, searching out the romance and beauty in her everchanging world. From the waves that crashed against the rocky shores of Downeast, Maine, to the warm breezes of the Caribbean, she discovered that love was universal, apparent in its grandest and simplest of forms. Her goal is to write novels an audience can relate to, one that conveys the truth and nature of love… with all that steamy romance. 

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OUR FRIENDSHIP MATTERS
Kimberley B. Jones
Rhetoric Askew Publishing, LLC
YA

Two teenage friends, Sasha and Leah, live a comfortable life in the affluent St. Louis suburbs. They attend a well-established private Christian academy and the only thing on their mind as they enter their senior year is graduation and their senior prom. When tragedy strikes, however, the best friends are torn apart because of social tensions, ignorance, miscommunications, and fear.

Our Friendship Matters reveals a fictional story mirroring real-life cultural tensions and racial injustice – a young black boy, Mitchell, is mistaken for someone else and tragically killed by police. Tensions rise among the community, citizens are angry. One night, while Sasha is out, she sees her old childhood friend protesting the death of Mitchell. Curious about him and wondering if there is anything, she could do to become involved, Sasha talks to her friends about it. Sasha’s white friends are not interested in getting involved and her parents forbid her from taking part. Sasha’s makes a momentous decision to go against all the advice she is given and joins her old friends in protest. The fight for justice in Mitchell’s name causes a rift in her relationships.

An argument with Leah drives a wedge between them and leads Leah to take the opposite viewpoint, taking sides with those who are supporting different viewpoints, while Sasha’s boyfriend is jealous of the time she is spending with her old friends, he breaks off their relationship. The girlfriends, one black and one white, are unaware of an escalating war between the groups they support, and chaos and fear continue—lines are drawn and sides are chosen.

Our Friendship Matters is a beautifully thoughtful coming-of-age story about two friends who are forced to take a deeper look at their culture through different angles. The easy-to-read story is full of drama, well-rounded characters and a positive narrative that will engage readers of all ages

As I pulled up into Ricardo’s driveway, Victoria and two other girls who attended Eastview were standing there holding signs that said, “Justice for Mitchell.” I was sweating more than ever. Scared of both the police and the girls I didn’t even know who were going to be getting into my car.

“I didn’t know you were doing signs. I would’ve made me one.”

Ricardo and some guys were busy placing things in the car's trunk.

“Are you okay? The time is now,” said Ricardo.

“I’m ready but a little nervous, too.”

“You shouldn’t be nervous. All we are going to do is go downtown and making a statement that we want justice. Once we are done, we’ll come back home. I won’t let anything happen to you but, if something breaks out, I need you to look for Victoria and get in your car and go home. And if something happens to me, I need you to look for Victoria then go to my house and warn my peeps.”

As the girls got into my car, Victoria told me I could march, and chant the same thing they were planning on saying.

I was missing Leah. This could have been a positive moment that we could’ve shared together. I was still hoping she would come to her senses and realize that our fight from our disagreement was all crazy.

We arrived downtown, and I parked in the garage.

“Why didn’t you park on the streets?” Victoria said.

“My parents always told me to park in the garage so nothing would happen to my car.”

She laughed at me and said, “Well, you are driving a Mercedes. I would do the same if I had an expensive car.”

 

 

 

Amazon → https://amzn.to/2RKybNF

 

 

Kimberley B. Jones is a small country girl from St. George, SC. She followed her heart in college writing children books. Recently she decided to challenge herself and branch off to novels. She is your typical nomad who moves from place to place. Not by choice, but her husband serves in the military. She has a bachelors and masters in early childhood education. Kimberley is represented by Rhetaskew Publishing company and is best known for her debut novel, Our Friendship Matters. When she is not writing, she is either thinking of another topic or reading. She loves writing, it gives her a chance to escape into another human character and express herself, other than being your typical mother and wife. If you don’t want to be on her bad side, then she needs her white chocolate mocha every morning. Some days Folgers breakfast blend coffee is okay.

Website: www.kimberleybjones.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimberleyBJones

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberley.jones.3762584

 

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