BOOKS AND BLOGGING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is defined as a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought. Well, my theory is if I can add at least 10 new books to my Wishlist and move at least 5 older Wishlist selections to my TBR list every month, then life is a ice cream sundae. And if I can find those 10 books from at least 5 new blogs each month then that's the cherry on top.

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!
Well, I've made it almost 5 years now, so for better or worse, I continue on. I tend to blog in spurts as the urge to be creative erupts. As I don't have an artistic bone in my body, you will see very few changes in the layouts. Hey, I'm a reader not an artist like so many of the awesome bloggers I follow. I know you don't always have the time but if you stopped and looked, take a half a minute and say your piece. Recommend a book that you have enjoyed or hated for that matter. Thank you to all who visit.
Oh, and I moved my Google Friend Connect info and share this buttons to the top, as without our friends, who are we?


Showing posts with label Bethany-Kris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bethany-Kris. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Book Blitz & Giveaway For ALWAYS, A Legacy Novel By Bethany-Kris


ALWAYS, A Legacy Novel

by Bethany-Kris
Cross + Catherine, #1
Publication Date: October 2, 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Coming of Age, Mafia

NOW AVAILABLE!

A Legacy Novel

A wild boy.
A sly girl.
Cross Donati defines trouble. He does what he wants because he’s never known anything different. He’s unapologetic, and he owns it.
Catherine Marcello is every bit a good girl … on the outside. Her entire world is a legacy, and she lives it. She’s curious, and she’s exploring it.
She chases bad things.
He never learned to be good.
They’re late nights, stolen cars, first times, fist fights, leather jackets, beaches, bloody smiles, and life.
They’re vicious and precious, dangerous and harmless, innocence and sin. They are love.
Love is killing for someone.
Love is living for someone.
Sometimes, you can’t keep saving your heart when it means sacrificing it, too.
Sometimes, you have to learn to save yourself.
Sometimes, love has to fall, crash, and burn.
This is what love is like when you’re a principe and principessa della mafia.
This is what love is like when you’re Cross Donati and Catherine Marcello.
***
Always is a Legacy Novel, and while it is standalone, it can also act as a prequel for Revere. Each Legacy Novel stands alone from any other book, series, or collection.
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EXCERPT

ALWAYS, A Legacy Novel (Cross + Catherine, #1) by Bethany-Kris

Catherine giggled. Her amusement faded fast. Like the second Hugh grabbed her arm in a tight grip, and stopped her from walking further.
“Last name?” he asked again.
She tugged her arm to free it from his grasp, but he didn’t let go. She looked down at his hand pointedly. “That’s a no.”
“Shit, what’s your problem? I’m just asking who the hell—”
“Let me go,” Catherine said.
She was polite.
It was the only warning he was going to get.
“Tell me your name, then.”
“This isn’t a tit for tat,” Catherine replied. “I said no, and that means—”
Catherine didn’t even see the fist coming before it smashed into Hugh’s face. Hugh let go of Catherine’s arm with a holler, and she almost tripped over her gladiator-style sandals in an effort to jump back.
“Means fucking no,” the guy Catherine had been admiring earlier said, as he stood over a now bleeding Hugh. “Coach said to move your ass, so move, Hugh. Stop bothering girls—didn’t you get enough of that shit last year?”
“Donati!” someone yelled from the field.
“Jesus Christ, Cross,” Liliana muttered.
“Prick!”
That was all Hugh got out before he kicked out a leg and dropped Cross to the ground. In full football gear, but for the helmets, the two boys started laying into one another. Each fist smacking into a body or gear made Catherine cringe. She was pretty sure someone was bleeding, too, in between cursing and name calling. The players and coaches on the field started heading their way fast.
“Okay, time to go,” Liliana said, making sure to tug Catherine along.
She kept up with her cousin easily enough.
First day, and already starting fights.
Yeah, she really missed her old school.
“Donati did you a favor there,” Liliana said as they came closer to the school.
“Who?” Catherine asked, peering back over her shoulder.
“Donati. Cross Donati.”
That surname seemed familiar to Catherine, but she couldn’t quite pull out why.
“Hugh is a creep,” Liliana said, oblivious to Catherine’s confusion. “He doesn’t understand the word no, and if you ask the right girls, they’ll all tell you not to leave a drink unattended when he’s around. Seriously, Cross did you a favor.”
She couldn’t help but look back over her shoulder.
Catherine found a pair of dark eyes looking in her direction before they locked onto hers.
Cross.
Cross Donati.
His fist crashed down into Hugh’s bloody face one more time before the coach reached the fighting boys, and pulled them apart. He was still staring after Catherine, though.
Cross smiled at her, then, showing off white teeth stained red by his bloody mouth. He didn’t seem a bit bothered by it, really. She smiled back.
Catherine thought, years from then, when people asked …
She would say that was when she fell in love with Cross.
Black hair.
Dark eyes.
Bruised knuckles.
Bloody mouth.
All the while, he smiled at her.
And she smiled back.
That was when she fell in love with Cross Donati.
Even if she hadn’t known it then.

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY


Friday, June 9, 2017

Blog Tour & Giveaway For UNRAVELED: by Bethany-Kris



Unraveled: Guzzi Duet, Part One

by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Duet #1
Publication Date: June 5, 2017
Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance, Organized Crime

BUY (FREE WITH #KINDLEUNLIMITED):

Guzzi Duet, Part One

Cara Rossi’s life has been a mess ever since her identical twin was killed. She blames the mafia, its ways, and the people within the caustic culture for a painful reality that turned her world on its side. In an attempt to momentarily pause her misery, a night out puts her on a path with a man she shouldn’t get involved with simply because of his last name—Gian Guzzi.
He’s the kind of man that makes it hard to say no.
Gian Guzzi’s problems are piling up fast. A murdered grandfather, an unpredictable mafia, and a new boss that threatens both his family’s legacy and his life. As a Cosa Nostra underboss, Gian has a duty. First to la famiglia, and only then to himself. In the midst of the violent uncertainty that has become unrelenting in his days, Cara Rossi should only be a distraction for him to enjoy.
She’s a happiness that he was never allowed to choose before.
His lies.
This life.
Their love.
It all unravels eventually.
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GR

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD




Monday, May 15, 2017

Cover Reveal for the GUZZI DUET by Bethany-Kris

Unraveled: Guzzi Duet, Part One

by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Duet #1
Publication Date: June 5, 2017
Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance, Organized Crime
Cover Design: Mignon Mykel at Oh So Novel Designs

Guzzi Duet, Part One
Cara Rossi’s life has been a mess ever since her identical twin was killed. She blames the mafia, its ways, and the people within the caustic culture for a painful reality that turned her world on its side. In an attempt to momentarily pause her misery, a night out puts her on a path with a man she shouldn’t get involved with simply because of his last name—Gian Guzzi.
He’s the kind of man that makes it hard to say no.
Gian Guzzi’s problems are piling up fast. A murdered grandfather, an unpredictable mafia, and a new boss that threatens both his family’s legacy and his life. As a Cosa Nostra underboss, Gian has a duty. First to la famiglia, and only then to himself. In the midst of the violent uncertainty that has become unrelenting in his days, Cara Rossi should only be a distraction for him to enjoy.
She’s a happiness that he was never allowed to choose before.
His lies.
This life.
Their love.
It all unravels eventually.
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GR


EXCERPT

“You could try not to antagonize him as much,” Bambi said quietly.
Gian turned to face the woman again. “Like he does for me?”
“That’s just Stephan’s ways.”
“And those ways will eventually get him killed.”
Bambi frowned, but wisely chose not to respond. Then, she turned and said something to the woman at her side but a couple of seats away in the booth, drawing Gian’s attention there.
To the redhead.
A woman he thought he hadn’t known from Adam. She had been so quiet at the table, her attention on the few people at a booth across the way from theirs, and not making a spectacle of herself as Stephan had done for him and Bambi. It suddenly made sense then why Constantino had not been treating the girl as a disinterested date.
It was his cousin, or rather, one of them.
At first, Gian thought Lea Rossi. But his mind quickly corrected that, as Lea Rossi’s death—an event that had been widely publicized due to the nature of the murder—had happened months ago. He only knew of the Rossi twins, as their uncle was an older Capo for the Guzzi famiglia.
Gian had met Lea Rossi on a scarce few occasions when their paths crossed for different events or whatever, but he had never sat down and had an actual conversation with the girl. He had been told by Constantino—the twins’ cousin—that the twins lived in Toronto.
He knew Lea had a twin. He did not realize her twin was identical.
That red hair of hers that had been so striking under the club lights from up above was even more stunning close up. A shade that a woman couldn’t buy in a bottle, and couldn’t quite be duplicated in a salon.
A black double-wrapped velvet choker rested around her throat, showcasing tanned skin and the delicate line of her neck. A simple bow was tied at the middle, making Gian wonder what she would look like with a choker on, looking up from her knees.
He wasn’t quite sure why that idea came on, but it was a good one.
Cara, he thought her name was. Wasn’t that what Constantino had said before about his cousins—Lea and Cara.
Gian didn’t pay attention to names unless it served him some purpose to.
Her ice-blue eyes looked him over, and Gian was taken aback by the lack of makeup on her pixie-like features. Most woman put too much makeup on instead of too little, determined to make a man focus on attributes instead of imperfections. But all she wore was just enough to shape her wide eyes, and a red tint on her full lips that matched the color of her hair.
From what he could see, her tight black dress fit to her curves perfectly, and guessing by the way she crossed her legs out to the side, she was not a short woman.
Beautiful.
Natural.
Sexy.
All of that and more came to mind.
“You stare a lot, don’t you?” the woman asked.
Gian came out of the daze with a bang. “Am I not allowed to stare?”
Bambi glanced away from the two, hiding her smile. “I think I’ll go find Stephan and see what’s taking him so long.”
Do that, Gian wanted to say.
He said nothing until Bambi was gone. The two men left at the booth quickly followed her lead, leaving Gian alone with the beautiful redhead. He didn’t sit, though, simply stayed where he was.
“It’s Cara, right?”
She glanced up, her blue eyes widening further. “How do you know my name?”
Gian smirked. “Family friends.”
“Right.” Cara flashed him one of her own smiles. “It’s Gian, right? Gian Guzzi.”
He lifted a single brow. “My name is well-known around this place.”
“The owner—I know. Constantino told me.”
“Oh?”
“And Guzzi isn’t exactly a … little name, either.”
“Would you like a drink, Cara?”
She didn’t even think about it before saying, “No.”
“A dance?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?” Gian lifted a hand, waving at the club behind him. “That’s sort of what you do in a club, bella donna.”
“I do speak some Italian.”
“Good, then you know what I think of you. A very beautiful woman.”
She did manage a smile that was slightly truer than her first. “You’re terribly arrogant. Flash a smile, say a few pretty words, and I bet most women eat out of the palm of your hand.”
“The men of my family like to say it’s a learned talent, actually.” He grinned, and didn’t miss how for a moment, Cara was silenced by the sight. “And as of right now, I’m not trying any of those things on you.”
“How do you hold all that cockiness and those damn grins in then?”
“I don’t.”
“And everyone melts.”
“I’m not looking at everyone. I’m looking at you.”

Entangled: Guzzi Duet, Part Two

by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Duet #2
Publication Date: August 2017
Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance, Organized Crime
Guzzi Duet, Part Two
Synopsis Coming Soon!
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GR

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD




Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Blog Tour & Giveaway For INFLICT By Bethany-Kris

INFLICT

by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: April 3, 2017
Genres: Adult, Erotic, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime

BUY:

As the son of an Irish mobster, Connor O’Neil spent his boyhood hiding from the horrors of his own home. His one reprieve was a girl he knew only as Evelyn, but even she was taken away. As a man, Connor is determined to stay away from his father’s business. With Sean, participation is not a request, but a demand. The truth is, Connor might be more like the evil he’s trying to hide away from than he would like to admit.


And he’s already spent years trying to cover the scars left over from the pain.

A chance encounter puts the lost girl from his past back on his path, and he no longer has a choice but to face the darkness he’s been ignoring for years.

Evelyn. Sasha. Slave.

She doesn’t really know who she is anymore.

Or maybe she does, and she doesn’t want to tell.

She isn’t the same as she once was—now a thing to be kept and maintained, shuffled from owner to owner until it was her time to go. She only became Connor’s because he took her when he knew she wasn’t his to take.

Except she isn’t Connor’s at all …

And he can’t keep her hidden forever.

~Inflict is a Standalone Romance with graphic depictions of violence, sexual scenes, dark elements and a HEA. It is not recommended for those under the age of 18.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33976127-seduced-by-sin
GR




EXCERPT #1:

Monday, March 20, 2017

Cover Reveal For INFLICT by Bethany-Kris


INFLICT

by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: April 3, 2017
Genres: Adult, Erotic, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime

Cover Designer: Popkitty Design


As the son of an Irish mobster, Connor O’Neil spent his boyhood hiding from the horrors of his own home. His one reprieve was a girl he knew only as Evelyn, but even she was taken away. As a man, Connor is determined to stay away from his father’s business. With Sean, participation is not a request, but a demand. The truth is, Connor might be more like the evil he’s trying to hide away from than he would like to admit.

And he’s already spent years trying to cover the scars left over from the pain.

A chance encounter puts the lost girl from his past back on his path, and he no longer has a choice but to face the darkness he’s been ignoring for years.

Evelyn. Sasha. Slave.

She doesn’t really know who she is anymore.

Or maybe she does, and she doesn’t want to tell.

She isn’t the same as she once was—now a thing to be kept and maintained, shuffled from owner to owner until it was her time to go. She only became Connor’s because he took her when he knew she wasn’t his to take.

Except she isn’t Connor’s at all …

And he can’t keep her hidden forever.

~Inflict is a Standalone Romance with graphic depictions of violence, sexual scenes, dark elements and a HEA. It is not recommended for those under the age of 18.

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EXCERPT: 

“You must think I’m stupid,” she whispered.

No, he certainly did not.

She was well spoken. She had a mind of her own and a questioning stare that told him there was a hell of a lot hidden beneath her exterior. He was not going to underestimate her in anything.

“I don’t,” Connor said.

“Then answer my question. You’re a man, so what do you want from me? They always want something; from the very start, each one has wanted something. I’ve filled a void, been used to enjoy, and even to be taught. I’ve been treated like a plaything to some, and like a sweetheart to others. What is your move?”

Connor damn near choked on his next question trying to get it out, “And how many has there been?”

She didn’t even think about it. “Seven, over the years.”

“All Russian?”

“The first one was not; he had a wife who liked me, and had three boys of her own, but no girls. He was just there to keep me, until I was passed on again. I was eleven when the wife left—I was passed on the next day.”

“What then?”

That spark of fire was back in her eyes. “What do you think?”

“I think you’ve misunderstood my intentions,” Connor murmured.

Evelyn tipped her head to the side, and her gaze dropped to his groin again. “Did I also misunderstand being in your bed, what you were doing in the shower, or the sounds you made at the end?”

Cac.

She had spied on him.

“I have to call that friend,” Connor said, refusing to indulge her further. “You should find something to wear that covers you.”

“I don’t think you mind.”

I don’t, but I won’t be held accountable for reacting in an unpleasant way to an arsehole move from my guest.”

Evelyn’s lips curved into a sly, sensual smile.

It was shocking.

Beautiful, but shocking.

Men may have used her for what they wanted, but he fully believed there was a part of Evelyn that was more dangerous than she let on.

“That’s a new one.”

Connor’s jaw clenched. “What is?”

“Jealousy. I’ve never had one that was jealous before.”

Perfect. Just feckin’ grand.

“I’m not … one—an owner, whatever—of those,” Connor said, more irritated than before. “You will do well to figure that out and fast, Evelyn. You will do well to stop trying to figure out what game you need to play to please me; you’re not here for that.”

“Then why am I here?”

Honesty was the best policy …

“I don’t know yet.”

He finished getting dressed, and the whole time, Evelyn never left him in private. As he passed her by to make that phone call and get something to eat for breakfast, her soft voice stopped him again.

“But why don’t you touch me?” she asked. “Even those who were not terrible, still wanted that from me.”

Connor looked down at her, and found she was watching him, curious and unashamed. “I told you why, love. It’s not for me to take, and if you want that, then you can ask for it.”

“I don’t understand, and I’m not sure what to do or how to act for you, if you want nothing from me. I’m not sure who to be here.”

“That’s a sad idea, isn’t it? That you have to be something at all, and not just a person, a woman.”

Her gaze dropped. “I don’t know anything different.”



Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Book Blitz & Giveaway For WORTH OF WASTE, the DeLuca Duet, Part Two By Bethany-Kris

WORTH OF WASTE: DeLuca Duet, Part Two

by Bethany-Kris
DeLuca Duet #2
Publication Date: Feb 6, 2017
Genres: Adult, Organized Crime, Mafia Romance

DeLuca Duet, Part Two

The Chicago Mob is the same as it has always been—violent, greedy, and excessive. The Outfit families have turned their backs when they were needed the most one too many times, but Dino DeLuca didn’t expect anything different.
His whole life has been lived for the Outfit—for his family.
He has a whole new set of reasons to live and fight now.
Karen Martin makes Dino change all the rules.
He’s finally ready to show everyone just how much waste is truly worth in the mafia, and just how far one will go for freedom from it all.
He’s learned these lessons well.
Too well.

Author’s Note: The DeLuca Duet is a standalone duet with a HEA 
ending that can be read independently.

EXCERPT:

“Did you do what I asked?” Dino questioned, his gaze flicking to Mike.
He’d allowed himself to think about Karen, and that was enough to hurt.
Dino didn’t want to hurt.
Not right now.
Mike nodded. “I did. I contacted her through private means that wouldn’t draw attention, explained who I was, and what you asked of her. She wasn’t happy—actually, she told me not to ever contact her again.”
Dino cleared his throat, surprised at Mike’s description of Karen’s response. She was not a rude woman, and she wasn’t the type to be purposefully hateful to someone. But then again, maybe all of this had just been too much for her, and that was her way of acting out against it. He didn’t know, and he really didn’t have any reason to speculate on the whys of it all.
“What else?” Dino asked.
“Nothing, Dino. I did as she asked. I can’t force information on her if she doesn’t want to hear it. That’s called harassment.”
True.
Still …
“She hasn’t come back since that first time,” Dino said.
“Then she did what you wanted.”
Dino wasn’t sure if that was the case or not. Had she done what he requested, or had that one and only visit and his rejection been the final straw that broke her back where he was concerned?
God knew he wouldn’t blame her if it was.
“But I did receive a letter to my office last week,” Mike said, drawing in Dino’s attention again.
“What does that have to do with me?”
Mike popped open his briefcase, pulling out a white envelope and passing it over. “I only opened it because it wasn’t personally signed to go to you, but to my office, and to me. I figured she meant for it to somehow get to you … maybe, say, in a way that the prison wouldn’t get a hold of it first.”
What?
Dino’s confusion must have shown on his face, because Mike only chuckled when he asked, “She?”
“There’s only one ‘she’ you’re trying to keep away, isn’t there?”
Dino didn’t dignify that with a response.
Mike wasn’t looking for one. “Open it. If you want, I can take it with me when I go, but I think you might want to keep it. At least, if it were me, I’d keep it. There’s not much that could be identifiable, should someone stumble upon it.”
He didn’t have any idea what his lawyer was talking about, but the second he opened the envelope and tipped it over in his hand to empty the contents out, he understood perfectly fine.
A small six-by-four, colored photograph of a baby swaddled in blue with a matching wool cap stared up at him from his hands. For a long while, Dino simply stared at the photograph of the baby boy, unsure and wary in his heart.
But in his soul … oh, there he felt warm.
Like he knew just by looking at the face of the child that this was his son.
His baby.
Dino sat there, staring at the photograph and saying nothing as he traced the features of his child with the tip of his index finger. He had so much guilt—so much regret. He’d missed too much already, he’d missed his baby’s first day on earth.
He hadn’t been sure he would even know how to be a father when he first learned about the pregnancy, but shit, he wanted to try.
He should be allowed to at least try for his son.
“Flip it over,” Mike said. “She wrote on the back for you.”
Dino did, finding Karen’s familiar scrawl on the back of the photograph.
JD Martin, it read. But I call him Junior.
The baby’s birthdate, just a week and a half earlier, was written underneath.
And then, under that, was something Dino hadn’t expected.
I’ll see you soon, Karen had written.
Nothing else.
Dino didn’t need more.
It was enough.

This was perfect. 



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GR

DON'T MISS WASTE OF WORTH, PART ONE IN THE DELUCA DUET!


DeLuca Duet, Part One


Ask anyone and they will all say the same thing about just who Dino DeLuca is. A criminal, the son of a traitor, and a mafia Capo who can’t be trusted. His past has shaped his life, creating demons he can’t escape from that live in his mind day and night.
He is all too aware of just how people see him.
Closed off.
Cold.
Different.
He doesn’t care—keeping people out means no one can get close enough to hurt him again, and he already has one too many monsters with their claws stuck in his back that he’s still fighting off. His walls are so high, no one is climbing over them. Or so he thinks …
Karen came into his life like a spring shower, her light shining through the darkness and making him see something other than the hell that surrounded him for so long. She doesn’t know who he is or what he has done to become the man he is today. If he can help it, she’ll never know, and his monsters will never hurt her.
She sees his differences as beauty.
She never asks for more.
She is perfect.
The problem with happiness for Dino DeLuca is that his monsters don’t mind taking away what makes him happy. After all, what isn’t given cannot be kept.

These lessons will be the hardest he has ever learned.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The DeLuca Duet is a two book tale following the same couple through their journey. It is a standalone Duet that can be read independently with a HEA ending.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kAkamh

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GR

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD