Saturday, December 21, 2019

Relentless in Texas

Yes! I can finally share the title, cover, blurb and an excerpt from the sixth and final book in the Texas Rodeo series. I wish I could say it will be in your hands soon, but the official release date isn't until June 30, 2020, but it is now up for pre-order online! My web goddess is in the process of updating my site with all the info and where-to-buy links, but if you just want to see that yes, it is actually for real, check it out at Barnes and Noble.



Here's hoping it's worth the wait--and the hell these characters put me through trying to do their story justice.





There’s a reason they call this cowboy
Relentless

Gil Sanchez was once rodeo’s biggest and baddest hotshot. Now he's thirteen years sober and finally free of the pain that ended his skyrocketing career. Given one last, near-miraculous shot to claw his way back to rodeo glory, he can't let fantasies of happily-ever-after dull his razor edge...but Carmelita White Fox is every dream he’s never let himself have.

And from the moment he saw the spark of challenge in her eyes, he hasn't been able to look away.

Carma may come from a Blackfeet family noted for its healing abilities, but even she knows better than to try to fix this scarred, cynical, and incredibly sexy cowboy. Yet she’s the only one who can reach past Gil’s jaded armor, and the fiercely loyal heart buried beneath the biting cynicism is impossible to resist. Gil needs Carma just as much as she needs him, but as the pressure builds and the spotlight intensifies, they’ll have to fight like hell to save the one thing neither can live without.



Now say hello to the woman who's gonna turn his world upside down and give it a good shake. Hey, this is Gil Sanchez. You weren't really expecting a meet cute, were you?  

~~~~~

The crowd cheered as a woman—somewhere around thirty, Gil estimated—stepped onto the floor wearing a short fringed-and-beaded buckskin jacket and matching midcalf moccasins over a body-hugging black dress and black leggings. Her ebony hair was pulled into a thick, straight tail that reached the middle of her back, her face nearly round, but her brows and mouth sketched in bold lines. Murmurs rustled through the crowd, and Gil caught the distinct aroma of ripe gossip.

Her chin came up and she flashed a smile, wide and bright, that was the equivalent of a stiff middle finger. Well, now. This was getting interesting. Gil took a sip of his Coke and settled more comfortably against the column, prepared to enjoy the show.

She dropped two ropes near her feet and built a small loop in the shortest. A trick roper. Nice. There weren’t as many as there used to be, although the art seemed to be making a comeback. The band struck up a decent version of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and with a flick of her wrist, she set the small loop dancing around her in a series of pirouettes and launched into a fairly standard routine. Well executed, but nothing Gil hadn’t seen before.

On the opposite side of Gil’s leaning post, a man drawled, “First time I’ve seen her out and about since Jayden dumped her. S’pose she’s ready to give someone else a shot?”

“Like you?” A second man snorted his skepticism.

“She might be a little less particular after supportin’ his ass all those years, then gettin’ swapped for a hot little blond soon as he made the Finals.”

“Don’t mean she’ll look twice at anybody else around here.”

The first man grunted, half in annoyance, half in agreement.

Jayden. The name would’ve been familiar if the guy had qualified for the upcoming National Finals Rodeo in any of the roughstock events, but Gil didn’t pay much attention to the ropers. Like a whole lot of cowboys who got a taste of success, though, this Jayden must’ve decided he could do better than the girl back home.

Watching Carmelita perform with that diamond-bright smile firmly in place, Gil felt a twinge of sympathy…until her gaze snapped to his, dark and fierce. Dont you dare feel sorry for me.

Gil glanced over his shoulder to see if she might be glaring at someone else. No. It was definitely him. He could swear his expression hadn’t changed, but she had singled him out as if she knew what he was thinking.

What the hell?

She abruptly spun around and tossed the short rope in the corner, plucking the longest one from where she’d left it on the floor. The band segued into “Ring of Fire”—and Carmelita began to dance.

Just a sway of the hips at first. Then shoulders. Subtle shifts of her body that in any other woman would have been a harmless sway to the music. No one but Gil seemed to interpret it as anything more.

He saw an intense awareness of her own body, a pleasure in the way it moved that went beyond just dancing. She raised her arms to start the big loop spinning around her, and when her jacket hiked up, Gil’s eyes were drawn to the curve of her hip and thigh. Hunger punched through him—instant, hot, and inexplicable. Geezus, what was wrong him? Yes, she was attractive, and yes, he’d come looking for a distraction, but this was not what he’d had in mind.

Her gaze met his again. Her eyes widened…and once again there was no doubt she knew exactly what he was thinking.

The woman hadn’t made a single, overtly sexual move, and still Gil could barely blink, let alone tear his eyes off her. There was something elemental about the way she inhabited her body that filled his head with visions of dust devils chased ahead of a freshening rainstorm, cloud shadows undulating across the prairie, the snap and crack of a campfire sending a flurry of embers spiraling into a velvet sky.

Most performers projected their energy onto the audience. Carmelita was magnetic, pulling the static out of Gil’s mind. His entire consciousness was consumed by the sight of her. And then, with the final, ba-ba-bum of the song, she whipped around and stopped, feet spread, head and arms flung back, eyes locked on him.

He should have looked away. Backed down. Walked out.

Instead he smiled—a taut, challenging curl of his mouth. How far are you willing to go, sweetheart? She held his gaze while the applause compounded the roar of blood in his ears, nearly drowning out the little voice asking if he’d lost his fucking mind. She faced him, eyes narrowing, as if she was debating how to react. Slap him with a cold stare? Ignore him? He saw her come to a decision an instant before she tossed an equally carnal smile right back at him.

Then she pivoted and walked to the corner, where she shrugged out of her jacket and unclipped her silver barrette so her hair fell loose.

She said something to the lead singer that made him laugh, then say into the microphone, “And now we’re in for the real treat.”

All around Gil, heads turned and whispers hissed. Now every eye angled his direction, gleaming with speculation. The music started and for the first, throbbing notes of “Tennessee Whiskey,” Carmelita stood utterly still, every generous curve of her body outlined by the tight dress and leggings. Then she lifted her arms and the loop became her lover, dancing away, then back, turning and twisting, floating into the air and dropping over her head to embrace her. Her expression went dreamy as she arched her back and the loop rolled over the long bow of her body from shoulder to breast, belly, and thighs.

Gil was insanely jealous of that rope.

The light seemed to dim and the already close confines of the dance floor to draw in around her—around him—a private bubble that was theirs alone. She pulled him into the music with her, where every thrum of the guitar and thud of drums vibrated through both of them, their bodies tuned to the same intimate beat.

And with each turn, her gaze skimmed over him, drawing his skin and his lungs as tight as a fingernail dragged across his bare chest. His breathing went shallow, perilously close to panting. She pirouetted around the edge of the floor, so close that her rope brushed his thighs, sending twin bolts of lightning to his core.

Before he could clear the haze from his vision, the song moaned to a climax and she once again spun to a stop in front of him, her loop floating up and over his head, settling light as fallen leaves onto his shoulders.

Captured.

For the space of a dozen heartbeats they stood, two wildland creatures frozen in a single, blinding beam of desire. Then he caught the rope with his free hand and she let him draw her closer, until he could feel the heat rising off her glowing bronze skin, smell her sweet cherry-almond scent, and see the gold that shot through her brown eyes.

The bar went quiet. Then the audience broke into an uncertain smatter of applause.

Carmelita let her eyelashes drift down as she inhaled—drawing Gil in molecule by molecule. Her mouth curved, a deeply knowing smile that nudged his thermostat up another few degrees. She didn’t say hello. She didn’t ask his name.

She just gave the rope a tug and said, “Let’s get out of here.”


~~~~~

Stay tuned. As soon as the book is up for pre-order I will let you know. Or subscribe to my newsletter at KariLynnDell.com to get all the updates, the latest hijinks from here on the ranch, plus a chance to win an advance copy! 

~

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Where to Find the Good Stuff

...aka, the short humor posts I used to put on this blog, which I stopped doing after I contracted with a group of regional newspapers who actually pay me for them. However, this means that I've got about eight years of stories piled up in my hard drive, so I decided rather than let them molder, I will share them with my newsletter subscribers every other week (or so, depending on my schedule).

Here are the two latest editions if you want to check them out. I'll post links here when I send out a new story, but you can also have them plopped right in your inbox if you visit my website and sign up:

KariLynnDell.com

The newsletters will also give you a heads up when I release new books, and there are drawings for things like advance copies specifically for subscribers. Here are the links to the last two editions.

Sooo Tired of Winter 

A Good Wreck--Lessons in Pain

Enjoy! And don't forget, if you're looking for a stocking stuffer or a very unique Christmas cowboy story, I have just the thing:


For details and purchase info:  http://karilynndell.com/mistletoe.html





Monday, February 18, 2019

The Reincarnation of Muddy

So...there's this thing I've been sitting on for a few months, and it involves the book formerly known as The Long Ride Home.

Yes, I said FORMERLY.

This book has had quite a journey. First the original publisher went out of business, but was good enough to sell me the cover art so I could self-publish it in digitally without any noticeable changes, but no paperback version. Now I am thrilled to say that my current publisher, Sourcebooks, is giving it a whole new life. New cover. New title. And while that means it will be unavailable until the new release date of July 30, 2019, when it does come out it will be on sale EVERYWHERE in mass market paperback.

Gentle readers, meet Last Chance Rodeo, available for pre-order as of today. Yes, that is my very own Chief Mountain in the background! I love my art department.

For the story behind this story and pre-order links, pop over to Romance Reads.



Thursday, September 13, 2018

On Sale, With a Whole New Look



The digital version of Reckless in Texas is on sale for $1.99 and sporting a whole new look. Why? The keyword is sporting. Many readers have commented that my books are sports romances as much as westerns, and many who say they don't read westerns change their mind when they meet these intensely athletic men and smart, savvy women who aren't afraid to throw a few elbows to make space for themselves in a man's world. 

Damn, I do love me some competence porn.  

The challenge is getting those "No thanks, ma'am" readers to look past the cowboy hat on the cover and discover for themselves that these aren't your Mama's westerns, so my publishing company decided to do an experiment. For the time being, the cover on the ebook has been changed, and I gotta say, as much as I love my cowboys, THIS is how I picture Joe Cassidy, except with more of a long-haired surfer vibe. As Violet thinks when she stumbles over him sans shirt:

Dear sweet heaven, that was one beautiful body. Like the yellow Corvette, designed specifically for impressing the girls and taking the curves way too fast. This close she could smell the clean sweat from the clumps of damp hair straggling around his face. His eyes were green. The color of luck, and money, and the other side of the fence. They gleamed with the same arrogant light as his smile.

So if you're like me--and like Violet--and you're a sucker for a man in motion who has some serious moves in and out of the arena, give Joe Cassidy a gander. I think you're gonna like what you see.  

The sale lasts through September 24th. You can find links to your favorite e-tailers (and the original cover) here: Reckless in Texas

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Limited Time Offer - Pre-order Signed Copies of Mistletoe in Texas



Yes, I am getting slightly more organized! 


I've made arrangements in advance this time. Place your order before September 5th and get a personalized, signed copy of my newest release, Mistletoe in Texas, on or about the official release date of September 25th. Depending on where you live, it could even arrive early. How that's for holiday treat!


Place your order via LatigoandLace.com and don't forget to put a name and any requests regarding the inscription in the ordering instruction box.


(This offer is open to anyone regardless of where you live, but I fear that the shipping will be atrocious for international readers and we can't make any promises on arrival dates.)


And keep us in mind for Christmas gifts. Along with all kinds of gorgeous western decor and artwork, Latigo and Lace has all of my paperback books in stock, including a very limited number of copies of The Long Ride Home, which is now out of print. We will be doing another special order of signed books in November, paired with western Christmas ornaments or handcrafted wooden bookmarks for the perfect holiday duo. Keep an eye on your email for ordering dates!


Also, I have been told that copies of Mistletoe in Texas should be arriving on my doorstep any day. The first will be the Advance Reader Copies printed just for reviewers so I only get three of those, but I'll be putting one up for grabs. And when my author copies of the official book arrive later in September, I'll draw for five more copies for lucky newsletter subscribers. So go to KariLynnDell.com to get signed up and remember to check that inbox! 

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Christmas is coming very early this year!

Available September 25th!




"Dell takes you on a fun, wild ride!" --B.J. DANIELSNew York Times Bestselling Author

He's always been the black sheep: the troublemaker.
But this Christmas, the prodigal cowboy returns.


Rodeo bullfighter Hank Brookman was headed straight for the top. But after a single misstep resulted in devastating injury, he disappeared under a mountain of regrets. Now he's back, ready to face the loved ones he left behind-starting with the one girl his heart could never forget.

When Hank stormed out of Texas, he left Grace McKenna picking up the pieces...and struggling with a secret that changed everything. He may be back looking for redemption, but after everything they've been through, how can she admit what he really walked away from all those years ago?

Hank always knew persuading Grace to trust him again would be a tall order. Convincing her they deserve a happily ever after? That may take a Texas-sized Christmas miracle.

Preorder links:  B&N | Indie Bound | Books a Million | Amazon | iBooks



Thursday, April 19, 2018

So Very Tangled


Several reviewers have commented on how Fearless in Texas is much more focused on the relationship between Wyatt and Melanie, and their interactions are more intense than in the previous books. Believe it or not, I did that on purpose.

With each book I try to do something a little different. For whatever reason, Tangled in Texas seems to get the least attention, but for me it has the most complex layering of relationships and emotions and in some ways was the hardest to pull off, because I not only took one of the antagonists from the first book--Delon--and made him into the hero, but turned the hero and heroine of Reckless into HIS antagonists. (You can't imagine how thrilled my editor was when she read the synopsis and realized what I was going to try to pull off.)

It all started with a comment from my sister, who taught elementary school for 30 years. We were talking about dealing with divorced parents, and she said, "It doesn't matter how friendly the divorce was or how much they vow to be civil, the minute one of them gets involved with someone new it gets ugly." So I sat down to write Delon and Violet as if they were that amicably divorced couple whose happy arrangement starts coming apart at the seams when Joe gets dropped into the mix. And then it gets worse when I bring Tori in, who has a justified and deeply rooted hostility toward Violet.

May I just say that there's a reason most romances with single moms or dads find a way to get rid of the other parent? Having to constantly shuffle Beni from place to place and account for why he was with Violet versus Delon at every moment was a real PITA.

On the flip side, one of the greatest joys of writing this book was the relationship between Shawnee and Tori. If they were guys you would call it a bromance. I not only wanted to explore the unique kind of friendships that evolve between uber-competitive, hard-headed cowgirls, but also to have two women whose conversations are almost never about men. I took that idea one step farther in Fearless, with the man ban scene early in the book. Yes, we do all like to talk about boys, but I wanted to write a best friend whose entire role wasn't to be a sounding board or to give advice about love.

I also loved writing Delon and Gil, watching them work through all the pain and anger they'd kept stuffed in their pockets for too long. And now I've circled back to them as I'm writing Gil's book, taking their relationship to a new level as Gil (tiny spoiler) suddenly gets custody of his son and has to look to his brother for support and advice on how to be more than a weekend father.

If you haven't read Tangled, I hope this all intrigues you enough to give it a go. And if you have, I hope I've given you reason to take another look and consider some of those nuances. As always, questions and comments are welcome, our version of online book club.

And if you want to check out Tangled in Texas, you can find an excerpt and order links on my website:  http://karilynndell.com/tangled.html

***