Laura Kitchell
Romance written for the romantic reader
STORIES FOR YOU
STEADY BASS: Book 4 of FlameSmith in Love.
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Dan Perry is devoted to his music and his bandmates, but when it comes to women, it’s casual.
Until he meets Charla.
She’s edgy, tough, and completely opposite to his type. There’s nothing casual about her.
She intrigues him, and he can’t resist the attraction, but she won’t give him a chance. Life interferes, however, when an attack lands her in the hospital, and Dan is the one person who’s there for her.
Charla must still overcome her injuries, her past, and her mistrust to make a place for him in her heart.
WARNING: This book contains subjects and scenes that may be considered disturbing.
THE AIR SHE BREATHES: Book 3 of FlameSmith in Love.
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Erol “Air” Finster needs a break from his heartache. Beatrice wants to escape reality, and one night with a rock star is the perfect answer. Both are in for a bit of fun, but neither is prepared for what they find in each other’s arms.
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Saiko, warrior princess under Japan’s first ruling shogun, is tasked with entering the dethroned emperor’s household as a consort. It is her duty. It brings honor to her family. This alliance between the old regime and the new can end rebellious uprisings that keep Japan in upheaval.
Takamori is an elite samurai in service to the first shogun. He is war-weary but loyal in his service under the man who ended the civil wars that threatened to destroy Japan. With no major battles to fight, he faces a peacetime that has all samurai questioning their role and their future.
When Saiko and Takamori meet on a garden bridge, both seeking answers and calm, they stir unexpected desires and create more questions than answers. Each day they meet and each day they fall deeper in love.
Duty and honor, however, dictate that Saiko must belong to the emperor, and as her father’s marshal, Takamori must deliver her.
A ronin attack forces them to fight for her life. They race across Japan with armies on the chase and two questions left unanswered. Who organized and directs the ronin army? And how much time do they have together?
In a world where duty is everything, how will she choose between family honor and her heart’s desire?
LADY OF THE IMPERIAL CITY.
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Love isn’t forbidden to Lady Kirei as long as it’s with a proper gentleman of Kyō and she doesn’t mind sharing him with his wife. Her provincial upbringing makes her socially unacceptable as a true wife, yet as a lady by birth and a court favorite, her position makes it impossible for her to seek a match below her station. She’s trapped.
When a nobleman of similar provincial upbringing arrives in town and becomes an instant favorite of the emperor, he is sent to Lady Kirei for tutoring on city ways. Lord Yūkan is smitten, but she’s not a conquest to be won. She’s a woman of substance and worth, and she’s off-limits.
Despite his unrefined manners, Lord Yūkan’s aristocratic bloodline shows through his fine taste and quick mind. It doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome, too. As he begins to touch her heart, Lady Kirei is ever mindful that they can’t commit, especially when her uncle schemes to make her a consort to a prince.
Will her family’s honor relegate her to the shadow-life of a consort, or can love find a way?
ADDICTED TO YOU - Book Two of the FlameSmith in Love series
Now Available!
V Odsbody goes home to Manchester, England for the holidays only to have his family subject him to an intervention for his addiction. To make matters worse, the members of his band, FlameSmith, are in collusion with his family to get him into rehab. With reluctance and a great deal of denial, he is admitted to the rehab center. Everyone is against him, but there’s nothing new in that. He’s a loner and always has been.
Izzy Potts has nursed temperamental, spoiled, and addicted celebrities before, so she hardly blinks when she’s assigned to the care of FlameSmith’s front man. Never mind that she’s a fan. Never mind that even emaciated and racked with the pain of withdrawals, V Odsbody is gorgeous.
Despite her professional demeanor, Izzy has a nurturing and kind way that reaches V through his agony and soothes him to his soul. He’s warned her he’ll have her when he feels human again, and she doubts she’ll have the willpower to deny him. But he’s always lost interest in a woman once he’s had her in his bed, and thanks to the diligence of gossip media, she knows it. They don’t stand a chance.
ROCK MY CHRISTMAS
Book One of the FlameSmith in Love series
Just because Kendel Price is a woman doesn’t mean she can’t sow her wild oats before starting her career and settling in the suburbs. With that in mind, she takes a job as a personal assistant to Burn Shatterly. Burn is the woman-hating lead guitarist for the mega-famous rock band FlameSmith. As Kendel works past his defenses, she discovers a kind, sexy man underneath his hard exterior. She’s more aware than ever that he doesn’t belong in the future she has planned. Can she leave before she completely falls for him? Or is it too late? Are they both destined for a Christmas heartbreak?
Burn needs a new personal assistant before he goes on Christmas concert tour in Korea, and it better not be a woman. He's had enough woman-trouble for one lifetime. When Kendel Price knocks at the door with two suitcases and a smile, he's beyond mad. He's stuck, though. With the tour beginning in two days, he's got to have a helper. He just prays she's got a brain under all that red hair.
Saving Madrid
Book 3 in the Covert Affair series, Saving Madrid is set in Berlin.
Julia Krenzel dreams of living up to her training and serving the agency as a covert operative while she files and types for the director. Her chance comes when her field contact, elite operative Madrid, goes silent on a mission. Madrid's request that Julia seek him should he go missing sends her to Berlin in an attempt to find him. Does she have what it takes? And if she locates him, what will she discover?
Saving Madrid is a $0.99 download to your favorite device!
Making the Mark
Book 2 in the Covert Affair series, Making the Mark is set in Paris, France.
Cassie Granger is America's elite cover lover. Her assignment is to seduce France's most notorious information thief. Damon Vuiller proves to be her greatest challenge yet, however, when he refuses to let her lure him into bed. Can she win his trust and affection in time to stop him from transmitting to the enemy, or will Cassie lose her own heart on this mission?
"I will recommend this series and this book to anyone looking for a quick, entertaining, and fun read." A Novel Review.
Read the full review of Making the Mark by A Novel Review. Click here.
Read a review of Making the Mark on A Soccer Mom's Book Blog. Click here.
For an excerpt, visit allromanceebooks.com! Click here.
Code Name Desire
Book 1 in the Covert Affair series, Code Name Desire takes place in London, England.
The agency director had ordered covert operative, Jaeda Bennett, to win the love and trust of London financier, Teague Jameson, but what if he wins hers first?
Jaeda Bennett's assignment is to make London financier, Teague Jameson, fall in love with her. In possession of his heart, she'll have access to all his secrets. However, he proves to be her biggest threat yet. When their lives are on the line, can she separate truth from perception?
For an excerpt, click the allromanceebooks link above!
ROCK BAND ROMANCE
ROCK BAND
This rock band romance is now available in both ebook and print.
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"A band of rock gods mock the idea of true love until, one by one, each is swept away by that unique woman who knows his heart in this rock star romance anthology, Rock Band." Katherine Alexander
Meet the guys.
Edgy, sexy Justin Keither leads his rock band, Smashing Glass, with purpose and passion. When the pages of his song-writing notebook remain blank, panic sets in. World-renowned photographer, Desiree Renault, can't see past her career until she meets "Justin Time" on a place headed to the same event. His kisses make her want more, but his doubts regarding love could make him lose her forever.
C.J., drummer for Smashing Glass, is wild and lives for pleasure. When he meets a beautiful food critic named Sin, she seems made for him. A troublemaker like him is a complication she doesn't need. Can he change his ways and earn her love before her plans take her out of his life for good?
Jet, singer and keyboard player, is a heartbreaker rock star with a looks to match his talent. Akiko is sweet and smart, and she wins his heart. Her traditional parents have other ideas, however. Can she defy them, or will she let them send her halfway around the world to a future that doesn't include Jet?
Chaz is Smashing Glass' handsome, quiet bass player. Freed from a promise that kept him from the woman he loves, he goes home to learn she's engaged to another man. Emily always thought of Chaz like a brother, a brother who abandoned her. Now that he's home, her feelings are far from sisterly. Can he claim her love away from her fiance, or will she be the one to abandon him this time?
Man of My Dreams.
This reality dating show romance is available in both ebook and print at your favorite bookseller.
Cole Pennington thinks getting a job as host on the reality dating show The Man of My Dreams is his dream come true. Then he meets Annasil Pakstasia. As a contestant, Annasil’s job is to win the heart of The Man. She doesn’t expect to find real love on a television show, much less with the host. Cole is charming, genuine, and completely irresistible. What’s he doing in show business? Annasil is beautiful, successful, and intelligent. What’s she doing on this show? One thing’s for certain. Per their contracts, to each other, they’re off limits.
"If you are looking for a light, easy, and fun read, The Man of My Dreams is exactly what you're looking for. I will definitely recommend this novel for all my fellow romance readers." Charlotte Lynn's Reviews
For a look at the full review, visit Man of My Dreams at Amazon.com or on Goodreads.com.
Free Stories for You
by Laura Kitchell
MAGIC RUNE
This rune upon a full moon read, the little ones' size you will achieve. Place your hand upon this rock, and with the wise ones you shall walk.
She glanced over her shoulder to call her colleague over, but Dr. Summers had gone. Probably to bed. She glanced at her watch. I should, too. But the stone held her curiosity. She'd never sleep until she determined the meaning of the words.
"Ah, that's much better." She bent closer. Moonlight glinted off the gem, blinding her for a moment. When she blinked and focused, the words read at eye-level.
"No, they do not."
A man with pale hair and eyes stepped from behind the rock into the moonlight. Breathing hard, he stared at her as if she'd slapped him. She couldn't help the stunned silence she experienced at the sight of him either.
Despite an immediate and startling attraction, she planted a hand on her hip. "This is an archeological dig. It's protected by Irish law. You're trespassing."
Outraged, she tugged against his hold, stumbling over the loamy ground. "Release me! You have no right--"
Ellisthera? Elverin? As he dragged her along, she racked her brain. She knew these words, but from where?
He waved a hand and her voice fled. Horrified, she tried to scream. Silence. Oh, God. He's going to murder me. Her heart in her throat, Angelica began fighting for her life, using her flashlight as a weapon.
Pressed against him, she felt every hard line of his leather-clad body. Her heart descended out of her throat but still beat fast. Testing her voice on a quiet hum, she realized she had it back. Her mind calmed and she dropped the flashlight. An amazing peace came over her. Understanding he wouldn't harm her, she opened her mouth to ask him to explain.
"I don't know this language," she said, trying to ignore the thrill that quickened her blood.
"Little time for what?"
The earth shuddered and a deep groan filled the night as if a giant rolled in his sleep.
Then it came to her in a rush. "The tome."
The tome she had found her sophomore year at university was the reason she chose ancient civilizations as her major. "I found a dusty old book at the school library. Elverin." The single word had been etched into the thick hard leather cover. Elf Kingdom. "I thought elves had pointed ears." Heck, I thought elves were myth.
The shadows grew darker and the brush thicker. Angelica wondered why she didn't collapse with exhaustion. She wasn't in good enough shape to run like this. "Ellisthera," she said breathlessly. "That's your wellspring of magic. It's what gives you power and protects the kingdom."
"I am so sorry. I never thought any of this was real."
The rift? "It's that bad?"
Five stunningly beautiful young women ran up a cobblestone path lined with pink and red horn-shaped flowers swaying in a gentle breeze. They wore gossamer gowns in various pastel shades, the layers flowing and graceful in the night.
"Mun ella," he said close to her ear. "Go quickly and do as they say."
"Go."
I don't want to part from him. The revelation startled her. She didn't know him. Why did it matter if she left him behind? It matters.
Faces, all with green eyes, watched her as she passed, but she spared them barely more than a glance as the earth trembled. In a panic, she shot through the doorway and slid to a halt next to a large wooden vat filled with steaming water. Tiny golden lights mixed and twinkled in the steam, rising to the ceiling and dissipating around massive black rafter beams.
The young women surrounded her, helping her undress. In no time, she submerged in the bath. Warm water relaxed every fiber in her, the liquid tingling along her limbs. Around her head, her red curls swirled in strange eddies. Even her face felt strange, like fingers massaged it.
The earth seemed to sigh. Magic.
The older woman wheeled a carved wooden mirror around the vat, the long oval suspended between its fancy cradle. A saying wrapped the upper curve of glass, and Angelica picked out the word ella.
Glancing out a window, she realized all her education, all her studies had prepared her for this. Her fascination with Irish myth and legend brought her to a life among the wise ones. Would they accept her? Welcome her? Because it would take her a lifetime to satisfy her intense curiosity about this amazing people.
The reflection stole her breath. Her blue eyes had gone large and pale like the man's. Shiny red hair spilled past shoulders adorned with layers of transulscent material that made her think of flower petals. She looked like herself yet different, her cheekbones higher and her nose more pert.
"Prophecy?"
She moved outside and found the man waiting. A crowd gathered behind him.
My beauty. He'd been calling her my beauty.
With a gallant bow, he said, "Prince Elliskarn."
He came and took her hands in his. "Mun ella, be mine for all time. One look at you in the moonlight, and my heart was yours." He wore unending affection in his eyes.
Staring into his eyes, she recognized a piece of herself in him. Magic surrounded her, scenting the air and creating a burst of effervescent golden sparks whirling above their heads.
"Yes." He placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead. "Mun ella. My love."
He joined in with his own laughter, and the crowd added their joy in the merriment. "Ours is a love for all eternity," he said. Bending slightly, he took her lips in a kiss that bound them in love for all time.
KRICKLE
"What?" Sandra guffawed. "You've got that way wrong. A bear in the hand equals a broken hand and a mauled rest of you. The saying is a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
"What's the difference? Are you serious? Which would you rather be inches from, Krickle? A bear or a bird?" She crunched into a protein strip that tasted like cardboard mixed with wintergreen toothpaste. She'd gotten used to it somehow, though.
She sighed. Funny how the constant low rumble of his spaceship's engines had become a comfort. "Because we can hold a ladybug or puppy very easily. To gain the trust of a bird and hold one in your hand is remarkable. Special."
She really was. All humor fled. "Will you ever let me go home?"
She'd gotten used to that, too. "I understand why you abduct humans. I get it, really."
"We're not monkeys. We use reason and logic. You should know that after eight months of getting to know me."
Yeah, and a lot of fun that had been. She rolled her eyes. "You've become someone I consider a friend, Krickle. I like you a lot and enjoy our talks. But I'm an earthling. I miss grass and trees, the warmth of a crackling fire, lazy clouds in a blue sky. I may not have family, but there are people who've got to be worried about me. People don't usually go missing for no apparent reason."
Had he ignored her question about going home? Didn't he care? Sandra gazed at the purple-gray tabletop under her hand. As a child, she had once made frosting that color. Not exactly appealing but still tasty.
His eyes widened a fraction. It never ceased to amaze her how much tyrons had in common with humans. He jerked a hand, urging her to continue.
Slumping his shoulders, he leaned elbows on the table and gave her an intense stare.
"I'm sorry if we scared you." His voice dropped. "Or hurt you."
"Hmm."
"Assuming it's reproductive. A continuation of my people." His mouth hardened.
His poker face revealed nothing. "You should get some rest. I will need your time tonight."
Narrowing his eyes, he leaned a bit closer. "Are you serious in your offer of assistance?"
With a curt nod, he stood. "Return to your cubicle. I will come for you when all is in readiness."
Her house. It had never meant much. In two years, she still had boxes left unpacked, hardly any furniture, and often went days away from it when she slept at the hospital. So why did she want to go there so badly?
Nodding in greeting to a passing female tyron, she marveled at how easily they'd come to accept her comings and goings. When she ventured near forbidden areas like engineering, communications, and navigation, they firmly redirected her. Everywhere else, they welcomed her as if she were one of the crew. One of them.
Had her eyes gotten bluer? Rising, she went closer to her reflection. They had. Bizarre. Her irises had taken on an added purple, deepening the color to a rich royal blue. She liked it. A lot. Smoothing a wayward strand of white-blond hair off her pale forehead, Sandra rolled and bent her knees.
"I'm up. I'm awake," she called. Using the mirror, she cleared crust from her lashes and combed fingers through her hair. Satisfied, she sprayed dental cleanser into her mouth then hit the button and smiled. As always, the sight of his face gave her a thrill and brightened her mood. She really liked him.
Her stomach fluttered. "A laboratory? A workroom?"
"Did you sleep?" she asked, fighting a lingering grogginess, but delighted nonetheless.
"What do you mean?" She sighed and held up a hand. "I know what you mean. You're wondering why I haven't tried to escape."
He made her sound so brave and selfless. Maybe she was. "Krickle, if your people tortured humans, murdered, had ill intent toward Earth, you bet I'd risk my life to try and stop you. But you don't. And like I said before, we are a reasoning people. I'm not a pilot. I don't know anything about space. Even if I succeeded in leaving the ship, I'd probably die trying to get to my planet. It seems to me I can do more good here." Never mind that Krickle had completely earned her trust and affection, and that the thought of leaving him made her sad.
If you say so.
Wow. Her stomach flipped. This was huge. What would she find? Test-tube babies? A nursery of genetically blended tyron-humans? His features softened and she realized she wouldn't find any of those things inside. What waited had to do with her. Personally.
He stared at their joined hands a moment then gazed into her eyes, a gentle smile curling the corners of his mouth. Opening the door, he took her in with a hand at the small of her back.
"You created a park," she said with awe, moving further inside. The ground even had give in it as if she walked on soil. Incredible. Catching a whiff of burning wood, she asked, "Is something on fire?"
She liked the sound the rocks made as they stepped along the pathway. Behind a copse of trees, a campfire greeted her. A tall red tent invited with a flap open and gaping.
Grinning, she turned to Krickle. "You did all this for me?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It smelled like Earth. "Why?"
Without opening her eyes, she said, "Tell me." She held her breath.
Her heart soared. She had feared what grew between them, pretended it didn't exist or matter. He was alien. She was human.
He covered her hand with his warm one. "Love. Yes, love. I did not think it possible, but yes. In this love of ours, Sandra, let us bring new hope for both our peoples. Let me show my love for you, and in this love, let us create something different. Something beautiful. Something new."
IT'S NATURAL...IZATION
"Candice. Good Lord, woman. Snap out of it."
Kate threw a wad of printer paper that hit the side of my head.
My secretary came from behind her desk and propped a trim hip against the doorframe. I tried not to hate her for her amazing red-blond hair and fabulous wardrobe. The woman made half as much and still managed to dress like a princess.
She grinned. "I don't need anything."
"Nothing," she said with a shrug, her voice rising a tad too high.
"Here's a hint," she said, sliding into her chair. "You might want to let your hair out of that uptight French twist."
I turned my head this way and that, admiring the way the overhead light reflected on my dark brown hair. The color was boring, but I kept it healthy.
Beep-beep! "Kate," came the receptionist's sweet voice over the phone speaker. "Ms. Lorin's three o'clock is on his way back."
My secretary smiled way too big and I glared at her. "Thanks. Thanks a lot," I shot.
"Calm down," whispered Kate, leaning over her desk.
When I gave it a wild flip back and came upright, he stood in my doorway.
Black hair slightly mussed in short, shiny layers. Bright blue eyes. A crooked half-smirk that told me he didn't know what to make of me. And boy did he fill out a smart gray suit. His red tie proclaimed him a power player.
Kate mouthed, "McLaney."
"Ms. Lorin," he said in a rich voice, the R rolling on an Irish brogue.
Quite frankly, I didn't care. I just wanted those broad shoulders and that heavenly cologne in my office behind closed doors.
I closed the door. His shoes crunched on my hairpins and I cringed behind his back. Glancing at the floor, he arched a single brow and sent me a questioning look.
He took a seat before my desk and I settled into mine. Be professional. Be serious.
Nothing.
My stomach dropped to my feet. Think, Candice. Think! I folded my hands atop a stack of financial statements to keep from yanking my collar off my suddenly too-hot neck.
Smooth. I was proud of myself.
This? Alarmed, I sat straighter. I half expected him to leap up and start stripping. Or had Kate hired me a gigolo? I'd kill her.
He glanced out the window, tension coming off him in waves. "I need a wife, Ms. Lorin." He looked me in the eye. "Candice. My Visa is up in three months. Kate told me you could help."
Of course, I married the man. Who wouldn't? He was dreamy. Still is. We celebrate four blissful years on our anniversary tomorrow. Sigh.