If at the end of the treasure hunt there will be still unmatched excerpts the giveaway will go to the one who matched more books.
The books are:
A Hunted Man by Jaime Reese
A Kingdom Lost by Barbara Ann Wright
A Place for Cliff by Talon ps
A Special Kind of Folk by Barry Brennessel
About Face by VK Powell
Ancient House of Cards by Bryan T. Clark
Another Healing by M. Raiya
Antidote by Jack L. Pyke
Because of Jade by Lou Sylvre
Beloved Pilgrim by Christopher Hawthorne Moss
Better Than Friends by Lane Hayes
Bird of Paradise by G.J. Paterson
Bite of the Recluse by Azalea Moone & Anais Morgan
Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher
Brokenhearted by Cate Ashwood
Camellia by Caitlin Ricci & Cari Z.
Carnal Sacraments by Perry Brass
Caught! By JL Merrow
Chasing the Dragon by Kate Sherwood
Chip off the Ice Block Murder by Jessie Chandler
Clean Slate by Andrea Bramhall
Corruption by Eden Winters
Desire at Dawn by Fiona Zedde
Dirty Beautiful Words by Brooklyn Brayl
Dissonance by Shira Anthony
Dudek by Taylor James
Educating Simon by Robin Reardon
Fight by Kelly Wyre
Filthy Acquisitions by Edmond Manning
Firestorm by Rory Ni Coileain
Forever Hold His Peace by Rebecca Cohen
Forgive Us by Lynn Kelling
Fractured by Mickie B. Ashling
Freak Camp: Posts From a Previously Normal Girl by Jessica V. Barnett
FutureDyke by Lea Daley
Games Boys Play by Zoe X. Rider
Gathering Storm by Alexa Land
Gin & Jazz 1- 4 (4 novellas: Hollywood Bound, Razzle Dazzle, Tarnished Glitter and Starring Role) by Morticia Knight
Girls Don't Hit by Geonn Cannon
Great Pleasures by Edward Southgate
Greg Honey by Russ Gregory
Happy Independence Day by Michael Rupured
Hard Pressed by Sharon Maria Bidwell
Hell & High Water (THIRDS, Book #1) by Charlie Cochet
Highfell Grimoires by Langley Hyde
His Fair Lady by Kimberly Gardner
Hoaley Inexplicable by Declan Sands
How Still My Love by Diane Marina
Hungry for Love by Rick R. Reed
If I Die Before I Wake by Liz McMullen
If We Shadows by D.E. Atwood
Ink & Flowers by J.K. Pendragon
It's Like This by Anne O'Gleadra
Lab Rat's Love by Ana J. Phoenix
Lesbian Crushes at School: A Diary on Growing Up Gay in the Eighties by Natasha Holme
Let the Lover Be by Sheree L. Greer
Like Jazz by Heather Blackmore
Love and Salvage: Loving Emmett by Mathew Ortiz
Love Is A Stranger by John Wiltshire
Love You Forever by Amelia Bishop
Lovers and Liars by Paul Alan Fahey
Mark of Cain by Kate Sherwood
Masquerade by Joy Lynn Fielding
Measure of Peace by Caethes Faron
Mirage by Tia Fielding
More Than Everything by Cardeno C.
Motel. Pool. By Kim Fielding
Murder and the Hurdy Gurdy Girl by Kate McLachlan
Murder on the Mountain by Jamie Fessenden
My Brother's Lover by Lynn Kelling
Nightingale by Andrea Bramhall
No Angel by Clare London
Omorphi by C. Kennedy
On Archimedes Street by Jefferson Parrish
Paradise at Main and Elm by Barry Brennessel
Paris Connection by J.P. Bowie
Passage by Evey Brett
Pick Up the Pieces by Tinnean
Piper by Leona Carver
Rapture, Sins of the Sinners by Fran Heckrotte & A.C. Henley
Rarely Pure and Never Simple by Angel Martinez
Rasputin's Kiss by L.M. Somerton
Rest Home Runaways by Clifford Henderson
Resurrection Man by K.Z. Snow
Return of an Impetuous Pilot by Kate McLachlan
Rocky Mountain Freedom by Vivian Arend
Running Through A Dark Place by Michael J. Bowler
Saving Liam by DP Denman
Serpentine Walls by CJane Elliott
Shades of Sepia by Anne Barwell
Shameful Desires 3: Unbound by P.J. Proud
Shirewode by J Tullos Hennig
Silent by Sara Alva
Slide by Garrett Leigh
Something Like Spring by Jay Bell
Splinters by Thorny Sterling
Stitch by Eli Easton, Sue Brown, Jamie Fessenden & Kim Fielding
Summerville by H.L. Sudler
The 42nd Street Jerking-off Club by Mykola Dementiuk
The Calm Before by Neena Jaydon
The Dead Past by Kate Aaron
The Empath by Jody Klaire
The Engineered Throne by Megan Derr
The Family We Make by Kaje Harper
The Genealogy of Understanding by Daniel M. Jaffe
The House on Hancock Hill by Indra Vaughn
The Last Conception by Gabriel Constans
The Line by J.D. Horn
The Mating of Michael by Eli Easton
The Memory of Blood & Lotuses by E.E. Ottoman
The Opera House by Hans M. Hirschi
The River Within by Baxter Clare Trautman
The Seventh Pleiade by Andrew J. Peters
The Thief Taker by William Holden
This Is Not a Love Story by Suki Fleet
Tournament of Shadows by S.A. Meade
True Stories Too: People and Places From My Past by Felice Picano
Turnbull House by Jess Faraday
Zenith by Arshad Ahsanuddin
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Today excerpts are:
53)
And with a “goodnight to you both” she turned toward the bar, straightening chairs at the tables as she went.
“That’s our cue,” Cyril said.
“If there ever was one.” Caroline stood up, a bit wobbly, and took his arm for support.
“The blind leading the blind,” he said, himself stumbling a bit. At the pub door, a pair of small Shetland sheepdogs, two blurs of brown and white fur on eight tiny feet, raced past them, and hopped up the stairs.
“Even Samson and Delilah are off to bed,” Caroline said. “Must be something in the air.”
The slightly tipsy newlyweds started up the stairs.
“I love dogs,” Caroline said, “Do you, love?”
“The family always had one when I was growing up. Couldn’t sleep at night without one resting near my feet.”
“More likely on your feet. Mrs. Bundy takes such good care of her twosome. Sometimes I catch her feeding them right off the guests’ dinner plates.
They really are adorable together. Better to have more than one I always say.
She calls them her little bed warmers. Maybe when this war is over and life settles down we can—”
“We will,” Cyril said, as if reading her thoughts. “We’ll have a barrel full of them if you want.”
They were on the second landing, about to turn down the hall toward their room, when she stopped and looked up at him, then she wiped away a tear.
“What’s wrong? What is it, Caroline?”
“You,” she said. “How lucky can a girl get?”
“Really?”
“Sure. You know I love you.”
“And I love you.”
“Uh—huh, and that’s why you’re taking me to the Fairy Bridge tomorrow so we can greet them and wish them well. It’s very bad luck not to they say.”
“Who says?”
“The Manx islanders, silly.”
“I thought we were going to Peel in the morning,” he said. “You wanted to see the castle and the ruins of the old cathedral. I mean, Peel Castle was your choice, as I recall.”
“We are,” she said, “but can’t we do both?”
“Sweetheart, they’re in opposite directions. It will take most of the morning—”
“Cyril, this is a tiny island. We can manage both. I’ll ask Mrs. Bundy to pack us a lunch, and that way we can go right from—”
“All right,” he said throwing up his hands in surrender. “Do you plan to win every argument between us?” he said.
“Hmm. Not all, but most.”
He unlocked their door, opened it wide, and gave her a playful push. “In that case, I’m winning every argument in here.”
“Of course you will,” she said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, darling.”
54)
That night at dinner, I still can’t get the Temptations song out of my head. I’m absent-mindedly humming and eating my food when I look up to see everyone staring at me. Everyone but Devon. He’s too busy trying to set his carrots on fire.
Geez, you’d think I never had a good day before.
When I crawl into bed that night, I take Rover into my lap and gently brush the dust off his leaves. I’m singing him a few rounds of “This Land is Your Land” when my mom pokes her head in my door.
“Hi sweetie, I don’t mean to interrupt you,” she looks at the plant in my lap. If she’s thinking something about it, she doesn’t say it. “I just wanted to say good night.”
“Good night, mom,” I say. “I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetie.” She smiles and shuts the door. I put Rover back on the side table. “I love you, too, Rover,” I say. Nothing. Not even a twitch. Come on, already! What does a girl have to do to get a little plant love around here?
55)
“It’s a new policy,” he whined. “Just…just came down a few days ago, in fact.”
“Came down from whom?”
“The…duchess.”
Katya slipped her rapier free and heard Brutal and Castelle draw their weapons. Duchess Skelda couldn’t have beaten them back to her home port. And if she’d sent orders after the uprising in Marienne, it wouldn’t have been for writs pertaining to docking ships.
Captain Penner narrowed her eyes. She knew all that as well as Katya. She stepped close to the sweaty harbormaster. “And how does one get a writ of declaration?”
“You…you apply.”
“And how long does it take?”
“Um…hours, only. Maybe a day, maybe.” His eyes darted toward the door.
“Go in, Brutal,” Katya said. Whatever or whoever the harbormaster was waiting for, Katya wouldn’t give them the chance to arrive.
Brutal smashed the window with his mace. While the harbormaster screamed, Brutal leapt the sill and hoisted the harbormaster into the air.
Katya spoke through the window, waiting outside. “Who are you waiting for?”
He only gibbered. Brutal gave him a shake.
“There is no writ,” Katya said after he’d quieted. “You’re delaying the captain while you sent for someone. I want to know who.”
He shook his head. “Please.”
“Tell me, or I’ll tell them you aided the captain instead of hindering her.”
56)
“Have you ever been in love?” Sarah blurted out the question before taking a bite.
“Are you going to grill me all night?” I didn’t want to answer.
She finished chewing and swallowed. “Sorry.” She wiped her lips with her napkin. “I’m being impolite. But you’ve piqued my curiosity, Cazz.” She shrugged. “You called me nosy once. Guess it still applies.”
I picked up my wineglass and watched the red flash in the light as I swirled its contents. “Once,” I said truthfully, keeping my eyes on the liquid. “A long time ago.” I set my glass down without taking a sip and peered at Sarah. “You?”
She eyed me coolly and her mood darkened. She sat back in her chair and focused on her plate. “Twice.” Based on the cloud that suddenly hung over her features, whatever happened with number two couldn’t have been good. Or was it number one?
“Does that include Dirk?”
After several moments, she lifted her eyes to me and a smile lightened her mood. “No,” she said with a secretive look.
I didn’t know what that look meant, but I was surprised Dirk hadn’t made the cut. They’d seemed pretty together when I knew them.
Sarah picked up her fork and stabbed at her salad. “Don’t tell me third time’s the charm, because I don’t intend to make that mistake again.” She took a bite.
“Yikes.”
“Yikes is right,” she said after swallowing. “I think maybe we’ve switched places, Cazz. Now I’m the one who doesn’t trust so easily.” Sarah dropped her gaze back to her plate and cut a thin piece of asparagus into smaller pieces.
I was eager to ask her to clarify her remark, since I’d never thought of Sarah as overly trusting nor had I thought of her as cynical. But as curious as I was, I didn’t want to press her into revealing any part of herself that would make her feel uncomfortable—defensive or vulnerable—around me. I wanted to soak up our nearness, hold onto the decade-old bond she alluded to when she mentioned we’d switched places, cling to the kinship those old memories invoked.
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