Texas Hook-Up is now available as a paperback

graphic of a tablet with the cover of Texas Hook-Up standing beside a paperback version of Texas Hook-Up, which is a man with his shirt open revealing a bare chest, standing in front of an old tow-truck, and the text Texas Hook-Up by Leah Braemel as the coverIf you prefer to read your books in print, Texas Hook-Up is now available as a paperback.

The paperback is 5.5″ x 8.5″ (the same size as all my other paperbacks), and has 101 pages. It’s currently listed for $8.99 on both the US and Canadian Amazon stores, though the prices will vary in other countries.  (£7.99 in co.uk, €8.55 at Amazon .de, for instance.)

At the moment, it is only available through Amazon, though I am attempting to get it loaded onto other stores through a different distributor but the distributor I am going through is a little more fiddly so that’s taking me longer. I’ll let you know when you can buy it elsewhere.

MIA

I am a woman in a male trucker’s world, which means I’ve developed a thick skin and a potty mouth over the years. When an EMT that I sorta kinda like decides he doesn’t like me, no skin off my nose. I can take Quinn’s snark and dish it right back at him. Until he finally realizes he’s in the wrong about me, and he goes and does something decent, like apologizing. Now what do I do with him?

QUINN

I come from a screwed-up family that I admit affects how I judge people. When I overheard Mia talking about living with someone named Jeff while she was dating my buddy Brody, I jumped to the wrong conclusion and I’ve been giving her grief ever since. I’ve finally realized I screwed up. Big time. I’m trying to prove how sorry I am but she’s making me jump through hoops. Rightfully so.

Being around Mia, away from her truck, has let me see the soft squishy parts behind the thick armor she’s donned. But going from despising someone to trusting them is a long swing. Now I have to convince her—and myself—I’m worth the effort.

 

Do you like extra steamy romances?

a graphic of a couple embracing, with the text FREE and Extra Steamy Romance, March 1st to 31st 2023. If you click on the graphic it will take you to the BookFunnel page with all the available titles
I’ve joined up with over 150 other authors who are giving away their extra steamy romances for free over on BookFunnel! I’m giving away my MFM menage Private Property, the first in the Hauberk Protection series. But there are so many other books to choose from too. So load up your preferred device and discover new-to-you authors and it will cost you nothing! (You can click on either of the graphics to get to the giveaway, or on the BookFunnel link above)

graphic that says Get It Now. If you click it, it will take you to the BookFunnel link to download the titles available for free

Tangled Past Returns!


Tangled Past is back. And it’s now also available as a paperback!

The story of Sarah, Jackson and Nate’s relationship all started because of a scene I wrote in Texas Tangle where the Barnett family is sitting around at the dinner table, and Grandma Barnett is asking Dillon, Nikki and Brett who’s dating whom, much to their (and Dillon’s father’s) discomfort. Grandma Barnett goes on to talk about her grandparents and how they were in a committed three-way relationship. Which intrigues everyone (except for Dillon’s father), and sets the wheels in motion for them to consider making their threesome a permanent relationship.

Next thing I knew, I was contacting my editor at Carina and asking if she’d be interested if I wrote the grandparent’s story. (This was prior to the days where authors could self-publish their works.) Anyway, she accepted and set the wheels in motion to send me a contract, and Tangled Past was written.

Plot bunnies-—they get me every time!

Tangled Past is the only historical story I’ve written.  The only virgin heroine (so far), the only…oh those wonderful tropes are plentiful in this book. 

  • virgin heroine ✅
  • shotgun marriage ✅
  • marriage of honor ✅
  • forbidden love ✅
  • strangers to lovers ✅
  • cowboys ✅
  • emotional scars ✅
  • LGBT heroes ✅
  • secrets abound ✅

One of the things I love about having the my rights back is that I can offer my books in print, an option that wasn’t offered by digital-first Carina Press. Now you should be able to purchase a print copy no matter where you are in the world. It’s being carried in Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Thalia.de, Booktopia, Bookshop, and Indiebound. (It should be appearing on Canada’s Chapters/Indigo store too but since their website went down for a week, all my books have disappeared from their site. Hopefully we can get it straightened out soon.)

 

One last thing I will ask. If you have already read or own Tangled Past, please leave a review on this new version. Other than on Barnes & Noble (bless them for that!) all the reviews for the Carina version have not been carried over to this version. Since Amazon, especially, has algorithms that doesn’t like to show books that have less than 50 reviews, I’d really appreciate it if you could take the time and review it again. 

Feeding the Flames Going Wide

After being in Kindle Unlimited for the last six months, I’ve have reloaded Feeding the Flames, book 3 of the Barnett Springs Romances, to the other vendors. So those of you who prefer to read your books on Kobo (including Kobo Plus) or Scribd, or to buy them through Apple or Barnes & Noble, you can get your copy through those vendors again now. If you downloaded it as part of Kindle Unlimited, it should stay in your library for you to read at your leisure.  And don’t forget you can get it in paperback, with its lovely new cover, too! And both versions contain three recipes! Tabatha’s 5-Alarm Chili, Tabatha’s Chili Seasoning, and Tabatha’s Green Chili and Smoked Gouda Cornbread.

Volunteer firefighter Zac Buchanan has been carrying a torch for Tabatha Morgan since…well, forever. A promise he made years ago backfired, sending Tabatha into the arms of another man, and him into a decade of heartache. Now Tabatha’s back in town, newly divorced, and the sparks between them are setting them both aflame.

Tabatha would have bet her secret five-alarm chili recipe that her school girl crush on Zac had died out long ago. Except those slumbering embers reignited the moment Zac walked into her diner. Now each time she sees him—hears him, thinks about him—she can’t imagine her life without him again.

But if their new-found love and sizzlin’ hot action in the bedroom—and living room, kitchen and bathroom—is to survive, Tabatha must also accept the smoke, flames and danger of Zac’s job. Or their happy-ever-after will forever be extinguished.

Also included at the back of the book are recipes for Tabatha’s 5-Alarm Chili, Tabatha’s Green Chili and Smoked Gouda Cornbread, and Tabatha’s Chili Seasoning.

 

Excerpt

“Wait a minute. Do you really think you can just show up and drop that type of bombshell and then walk away and leave me hanging? Not a chance, bud.” She tugged on his collar and stepped backward, leading him to the back of the diner. After pausing to flip off the remaining lights, she resumed their trek toward the rear exit. Well, she’d intended to. They’d made it as far as her office when Zac banded her wrists with one hand, dragged them above her head and pressed her against the wall with his body. With her trapped, he captured her mouth.

Even her most erotic fantasy hadn’t prepared her for his kiss.

Her eyes drifted closed so she could concentrate on the pure sensation. From the hardness of his chest pressing against her, holding her in place, and his breath on her skin, to the soft prickle of his stubble on her cheek. That he was showing a side of himself she’d never seen before was just as erotic. She’d seen him playful before, but there was an intensity to him, as if carefully stoked embers had ignited.

His long fingers slipped to the back of her neck. A quick tug and her apron sagged to her waist. Cool air from overhead brushed bare skin as he unbuttoned her shirt. The heat of his touch as he pushed the fabric aside caused her nipples to harden into tight buds.
[pullquote]Feeding the Flames is knock your bobby socks off sexy and worthy of a happy ending (and when you read it you’ll understand both those references)! ~ Slick Reads, Guilty Pleasure Reviews[/pullquote]

He released his grip on her wrists and shoved her bra beneath her breasts, the fabric rasping over her sensitive nipples. She lost herself in how his eyes were now nearly black with desire.
His groan rumbled through her chest. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to see these?”

As long she’d wanted him to touch them? Why had she settled for Bill when she should have admitted to Zac she was attracted to him back in high school? All those wasted years.

Her knees trembled when he cupped her breasts, his long fingers toying with the hard buds. Between the kissing and his attention to her breasts, her body heated and softened.

Free of restraint, she brought her hands down, gave into the need to thread her fingers through the silky strands of his hair. It was just how she’d expected it to feel. And this wasn’t a fantasy, wasn’t a dream. She leaned in to resume the kiss, only to have him pull away.

“Behave.” Once again he banded her wrists with one hand and hauled them above her head.

The command in his tone had her immediately obeying. Strange, considering she usually balked whenever someone tried to take over. “But I want to touch you.”

“Kitten, you touch me right now and I’ll go off like a bottle rocket.”

Huh. Who knew she had such power over him?

Texas Hook-Up is Now Available!

Texas Hook-Up is now available! It’s been a long time coming, but I’m thrilled to have a new story for you to read.  Mia and Quinn were such fun to write, as was returning to the Barnett Springs world, with Zach and Tabby and the rest of the gang. If you like Texas Hook-Up, I plan on writing more in this world.  Fair warning, both these characters have potty mouths, so there’s going to be a lot of eff-bombs dropped. Which was really fun to write and not have to censor my potty-mouthed self.

For the next three months, Texas Hook-Up will be exclusive to Amazon, so you can buy it through them or download it through their Kindle Unlimited program. If you buy your books from other vendors, it will be coming out in paperback soon, so you’ll have that as an option, but in May, it will also be available through the other vendors. So if you don’t already belong, sign up for my newsletter for announcements to stay in touch for new releases, sales and when the paperbacks are out.

And since you’re still reading (you are still reading, aren’t you?) there’s sort of a BOGO included with Texas Hook-Up. I was so inspired by these characters that when I finished editing Texas Hook-Up, I wrote another 15,000 words/66 pages following the hijinks Quinn and Mia get into as Quinn (spoiler alert!)  plans to propose. ((To avoid giving away the plot, you’ll have to highlight that white spot to see the text. 😉 I write romances, so it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.)  Anyway, at the back of Texas Hook-Up I’ve included a link so you can download a copy of this free novella which is called Getting Hitched. That’s right, if you buy Texas Hook-Up, you get a free novella. So buy one, get one! (Have I said the title enough times that you’ll remember it? 🤣 )


MIA

I am a woman in a male trucker’s world, which means I’ve developed a thick skin and a potty mouth over the years. When an EMT that I sorta kinda like decides he doesn’t like me, no skin off my nose. I can take Quinn’s snark and dish it right back at him. Until he finally realizes he’s in the wrong about me, and he goes and does something decent, like apologizing. Now what do I do with him?

QUINN

I come from a screwed-up family that I admit affects how I judge people. When I overheard Mia talking about living with someone named Jeff while she was dating my buddy Brody, I jumped to the wrong conclusion and I’ve been giving her grief ever since. I’ve finally realized I screwed up. Big time. So I’m trying to prove how sorry I am but she’s making me jump through hoops. Rightfully so.

Being around Mia, away from her truck, has let me see the soft squishy parts behind the thick armour she’s donned. But going from hating someone to trusting them is a long swing. Now I have to convince her—and myself—I’m worth the effort.


Excerpt:

All eyes are on the ensuing drama between father and daughter until the roar of a large diesel engine distracts me. McBride positions her flatbed, hops out, and walks back to set up the winch. She grabs the hook and pulls the cable down the hill. The water is rushing through the gully now, well over knee-deep. But I’m more concerned about the mud on the far side, especially near the top where I’d nearly taken a header. Should I warn her?

Except it’s Mia McBride. Attitude on two endless legs. She has a foul mouth and an attitude to match. Like the wasp she resembles in her rain gear, she has stung me hard, more than once.

She’s a damned fine-looking woman. She’s tall, almost my height. And her tight ass? *chef’s kiss*

Her thick, dark hair is done up in braids this week, the purple beads clicking as she turns her head. Those braids beg me to wrap my hand around them and hold her in place as I kiss her. Her dark eyes glint in the night like a cat’s, with a gaze that drills straight into me as if she can see into my soul. And her laugh? It’s one of those husky, deep sounds that has my dick standing straight, ready to perform at her command.

I used to watch her in high school, especially while she was running track or playing baseball. Her school uniform displayed legs that went on forever. Muscular legs my teenaged self imagined wrapped around me, pulling me into her hot pussy. Sadly, they stayed mere fantasies, especially after my knockdown, drag-out with her cousins.

The instant attraction had reared its cock again when I’d encountered her shortly after I’d started working full time with the BSFD. Like tonight, we’d attended an MVC scene, and Mia was hanging out beside her tow truck, waiting for us to clear the scene. MVC—that’s our shorthand for Motor Vehicle Collision, by the way.

Okay, the attraction is not past tense. I still find her attractive. I can’t help it.

But she’d been dating some other guy at the time, so she was hands off. I don’t insert myself into other people’s relationships. I learned from watching my mother screw other women’s husbands and the hurt it caused. By the time I learned Mia had broken up with the other guy, she was already dating my buddy Gonzalez. It meant I had to listen to Gonzalez braggin’ about how many times they’d done it on his days off, but he was happy, so I put up with it. Then one night, on Gonzalez’s night off, McBride and I were attending another MVC, and I overheard her talking on her phone about having to get home to Jeff.

Gonzalez’s first name is Danny.

Then last year, long after she’d broken up with Gonzalez (who never did say why they’d split, but I figure he’d found out about Jeff), she and Dickinson hooked up. A couple weeks later, I overheard her talking about having to go check on Brian, who had been sick earlier in the day. Something he ate, she figured.

The woman is a serial cheater.

So yeah, my brain’s gotta take command and cool my dick’s jets around her. Every. Damned. Time.

She reaches the top of the far bank. Her right foot slips in the muck, her arms pinwheel, a giant wasp attempting to fly. The cable slips from her hand as she tumbles down the hill, and lands in the ditch. Water geysers up around her and nearly hits those of us standing on the bank by my truck.

Fuck.

Had she hit her head? Twisted an ankle? Might we be dealing with a spinal injury here?

I scramble down the bank, worrying about her inhaling the filthy water. Water in the lungs can mean major issues, like pneumonia, even dry drowning days later. Before I can reach her, Mia comes up spluttering and cursing like a sailor.

Instead of waiting for me to check her out, that woman with attitude, still cursing a blue streak, heads back up to the Audi. Forcing me to traverse the fuckin’ gully again, because she might have hit her head and not realized it yet.

I need to check her out. It’s my job. My duty. Even to women who flip me off and tell me to stick my dick where the sun don’t shine. Without lube.

FML!

Texas Tangle, Now Available in Print!

I’ve waited over 12 long years to be able to shout to the world, “You can now get Texas Tangle as a paperback too!”

Texas Tangle is one of my popular, best selling books, but it has never been put out as paperback before. Texas Tangle hit #1 overall sales on Kobo, not just #1 Romance but #1. It was also #1 on Amazon’s Erotic Romance list for weeks. Whenever I’d go to book signings and conferences, I’d constantly be asked, “When’s it going to be in print? I want a paperback copy!” But that side of production was out of my hands and I’d have to say, “I’m sorry, but it’s only available as an ebook at this time,” because, hey I’m Canadian, we apologize a lot, right? But I really was disappointed that I couldn’t sell you a paperback.

Which is one of the main reasons I am absolutely thrilled to have the rights back and be able to put it out in print, so even I can hold it in my hands.

I learned from last fall’s experiment with three of my shorter titles that Amazon doesn’t make it easy for readers to buy books printed by other sources. (They’d been set up to be printed through Draft2Digital) So this time I’ve loaded it to both Amazon and through another distributor called Ingram Spark. It’s through IS that other bookstores, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, etc prefer to their paperbacks rather than having to order from Amazon. And Amazon will stay happy because buyers who order from them will be printed by their own printers.

What does all that mean to you? It means you shouldn’t be seeing “out of stock” or “unavailable” notices if you wish to buy it through Amazon. And for those who prefer to buy their paperbacks from other vendors, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, etc. you should find it much easier to purchase through them too. Though you may see slight differences between the Amazon version and the Ingram Sparks version (any paperback not bought through Amazon) because the printers are different (spine depth varies by 2 mm) or the colours may be more vibrant on one vs the other, the content is identical.

Best yet, the paperback version, like the new digital version, contains the brand new epilogue that the original digital version published by its previous publisher did not have.  It’s taking a little while to populate through the various vendors, but it should show up soon.

Barnes & Noble Nook

Texas Tangle out today!

After her cheating ex-husband stole her trust and her brother stole everything else, horse breeder Nikki Kimball is intent on reclaiming her independence. When her carefree neighbor Dillon Barnett and his enigmatic best friend Brett Anderson offer to help her out, both in the stable and the bedroom, Nikki relearns how to trust and discovers joy.

Ten years ago, the two friends fought a bitter battle for their high school crush. Although Brett longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, he is forced to decide if he is willing to lose Dillons’ friendship to gain her heart.

As their unusual relationship progresses, Nikki is faced with a conundrum she never expected to face. While her heart wants them both in her life, in her bed, society demands she choose between the two men. Now Nikki has to decide what price she is prepared to pay to keep the happiness and independence she’s finally found.


Texas Tangle was one of Carina Press’s first releases when it launched back in June 2010. It’s also a title I’m really proud of. When I started writing it, I’d intended it to be a novella, then Brett walked on the page and suddenly I had a full length book with angst and laughter and depth. I still love the threesome, and their family, and the entire Barnett Springs world.

Readers loved it too.  It hit #1 on the Kobo BestSeller’s list that September. Not #1 Romance, #1 overall. It stayed on Amazon’s bestselling Erotic Romance list for weeks too. (This was back before they used to award authors neat little gold banners.) There’s a specific line in it, said by Faith Barnett, that I’ve found popping up on various quote sites that surprised the heck out of me. I mean, people are actually quoting me? Technically they’re quoting Faith, but Faith is a figment of my imagination so yes, they’re quoting me. It was very cool to discover.

When I got the rights back from Carina this summer, I knew I wanted a new cover (the original one had been changed from one I loved to a mediocre one), and I wanted to finally add an epilogue that had been rolling around in my head for years. The threesome deserved an epilogue. So this new copy includes an extra 10 pages that tells you what’s been going on with the threesome over the next two years after the original story ends. You’ll continue to see them as they’ll pop up occasionally in the other Barnett Springs stories I’m writing.

Dillon is sunshine, the eldest son of the Barnett family some people refer to as their “golden boy.” Nikki is a wounded girl-next-door who has been abused by both her ex-husband and her own family but has found her own feet until she returns to her farm one day to find her brother has stolen everything from her, including her identity. Then there’s Dillon’s best friend Brett. Oh, Brett broke my heart so many times as I wrote his story. He’s is a dark, wounded soul who needs Dillon’s brightness and Nikki’s steadfast love to heal his heart and send undying love to theirs. The three of them together? I love them all.

At the moment you can only get it as a digital version, but I am working on a paperback version. It’s taking a little longer for lots of behind the scene headaches like delivery times and the distributors/printers being closed and swamped because of the holidays. Bear with me. Texas Tangle will also be available as a paperback soon.

Please help a returning author out — if you’re reading this, especially if you’ve already read Texas Tangle and enjoyed it, please share this post or any of my posts on your social media feeds and help me spread the word.

Barnes & Noble Nook

 

Excerpt

Dillon eased himself into the hot tub with a groan. He’d come home from work aching and sore. Nikki had pushed him down on the couch and given him a backrub that had him soft everywhere but the groin.

Damned if Nikki hadn’t suggested this dip and then dropped every stitch she had on to entice him. If he hadn’t been so tired, he’d have bent her over the arm of the couch and taken her from behind. (more…)

Enjoy Your Holidays by Feeding the Flames for Free

 

If you’re planning on reading Texas Tangle (which releases today, you did pre-order it, didn’t you? If you didn’t, get your copy now!), Feeding the Flames takes place in the same world and you may see some familiar faces. It’ll also introduce you to some of the characters in my upcoming release, Texas Hook-Up. So if you haven’t already, grab Feeding the Flames for free!  Not only that you can fill your e-reader with over 800 other titles for free too!

A new look for Feeding the Flames

To make Feeding the Flames consistent with the rest of the Barnett Springs Romance series, thanks to Matilda of Cover Girl Designs, Zach and Tabby’s book has a new cover. And I love it!

The cover has already changed on Amazon, and the paperback versions will soon be changed as well. But don’t worry, the interior of the book has stayed the same, it’s just the cover that’s changed.

I’m also setting up a paperback version printed just for Amazon buyers. It doesn’t mean it will go away at the other stores — they’ll still be available at Barnes & Noble and other stores. It’s just that having it printed by a different distributor was causing too many headaches to purchase through Amazon. They’d often show it as out of stock or link it to a store that sold it for double the price, so now the Amazon versions should stay in stock and be offered at the same prices as the other stores.