Tag Archives: Renzo + Lucia

CONTEMPT by Bethany-Kris – Blog Tour

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CONTEMPT

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #3
Publication Date: March 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

AVAILABLE NOW! (Free with Kindle Unlimited)

CONTEMPT teaser 1

SYNOPSIS

How much is too much?

Five years—that was the deal. Renzo Zulla gave up five years of his life to repay a debt to an organization that only wanted to break him before they could make him. Their way, their rules. He doesn’t move without their okay, even if his latest job puts him right in front of her. But the five years are almost up, and he knows exactly where he’s going first.

Love doesn’t follow rules …

Heartbroken and alone—that’s how she survives. Lucia Marcello is alive, but a part of her still feels dead without him. She’s spent far too much time running away from her past and the pain she constantly holds tight because it’s easier than hating the people who caused it. But life has a way of bringing you back when your heart never will.

Love doesn’t fade …

But time means nothing, and forever might be only an illusion for them. Because where fate doesn’t step in, reality does. If hate is a game you play with your heart, and contempt is the game you play with your mind … where does that leave love?

Vendettas don’t care about love.

It’s in God’s hands now.

Note: CONTEMPT is the final book in a three-book

Trilogy following the same couple.

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CONTEMPT teaser 2

CONTEMPT teaser 3

DON’T MISS THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE RENZO + LUCIA TRILOGY! FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED!

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BUY NOW!

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harbor cover

BUY NOW!

harbor teaser 1

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ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four 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: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebook GoodreadsPinterestMailing ListAmazon Author Page

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CONTEMPT by Bethany-Kris – Release Blitz

CONTEMPT banner

CONTEMPT

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #3
Publication Date: March 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

AVAILABLE NOW! (Free with Kindle Unlimited)

CONTEMPT tablet

SYNOPSIS

How much is too much?

Five years—that was the deal. Renzo Zulla gave up five years of his life to repay a debt to an organization that only wanted to break him before they could make him. Their way, their rules. He doesn’t move without their okay, even if his latest job puts him right in front of her. But the five years are almost up, and he knows exactly where he’s going first.

Love doesn’t follow rules …

Heartbroken and alone—that’s how she survives. Lucia Marcello is alive, but a part of her still feels dead without him. She’s spent far too much time running away from her past and the pain she constantly holds tight because it’s easier than hating the people who caused it. But life has a way of bringing you back when your heart never will.

Love doesn’t fade …

But time means nothing, and forever might be only an illusion for them. Because where fate doesn’t step in, reality does. If hate is a game you play with your heart, and contempt is the game you play with your mind … where does that leave love?

Vendettas don’t care about love.

It’s in God’s hands now.

Note: CONTEMPT is the final book in a three-book Trilogy following the same couple.

goodreads-badge-add-38px

EXCLUSIVE RELEASE EXCERPT

“You got a job for me, or what?” Renzo asked.

Dare’s jaw muscles tightened, but he nodded. Probably happy that they were now onto an entirely different conversation. Nobody said dealing with Renzo when he was in one of his moods was particularly easy.

Even he knew that about himself.

“Folder on the desk—black strip across the front,” Dare murmured.

Ah, great.

A black strip on the folder meant the job came directly from M. It was the only way Dare chose to differentiate from the jobs he negotiated for Renzo, and the ones that came specifically from M for him to do.

Crossing the office, Renzo picked up the folder, and flipped it open. He found the picture of a tanned-skinned man with short, black cropped hair and brown eyes attached to a sheet of details with a simple paper clip. He gave the picture about five seconds of his attention before lifting it up to read the bit of details it covered.

Christian Savino.

32.

Born: Sienna, Italy.

Known drug trafficker.

Renzo took in the rest of the details about the man before quickly closing the folder, and giving Dare his attention again. The man still hadn’t come further into his office, instead opting to stand in the doorway.

“So the job is what, kill him?”

Because the file didn’t say.

Dare shook his head. “M wants you to keep an eye on the man, apparently. He doesn’t come over to this side very often—most of his business stays on his side of the world, I suppose. Except, he’s here for a span of time. Could be a couple of weeks, could be a lot more. For whatever reason, your boss has reason to believe that while he’s here, he could cause trouble. So yes, keep an eye on him. Report back to me once a week, and I will relay whatever information you give to M. He will decide what to do from there.”

Renzo blinked.

Like a fucking idiot.

“You want me to babysit some fucking Italian because he came to America?”

All the skills Renzo had … the shit he could do, and they wanted him to babysit somebody?

“That’s a joke, right?” Renzo asked.

Dare glanced at the folder. “That’s a folder from M, Ren. Do you think that’s a joke?”

Jesus Christ.

“Fine, where is this … Savino now?”

“Apparently, California,” Dare replied, “but it’s possible he’s doing work across the states, too. You might have to follow him.”

Renzo heard a lot in Dare’s statement, but only one thing registered to him.

California.

Lucia.

He knew better—he needed to stay away until the five-year term was up. The rebel in him was fucking dancing, though.

“Yeah, all right,” Renzo said. “Cali first, then.”

CONTEMPT teaser 2

DON’T MISS THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE RENZO + LUCIA TRILOGY! FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED!

privilage cover

BUY NOW!

goodreads-badge-add-38px
harbor cover

BUY NOW!

goodreads-badge-add-38px

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four 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: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebook GoodreadsPinterestMailing ListAmazon Author Page

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CONTEMPT by Bethany-Kris – Reveal

CONTEMPT banner

CONTEMPT

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #3

Publication Date: March 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

CONTEMPT cover

Cover Reveal Credits: London Miller

CONTEMPT front & back cover

SYNOPSIS

How much is too much?

Five years—that was the deal. Renzo Zulla gave up five years of his life to repay a debt to an organization that only wanted to break him before they could make him. Their way, their rules. He doesn’t move without their okay, even if his latest job puts him right in front of her. But the five years are almost up, and he knows exactly where he’s going first.

Love doesn’t follow rules …

Heartbroken and alone—that’s how she survives. Lucia Marcello is alive, but a part of her still feels dead without him. She’s spent far too much time running away from her past and the pain she constantly holds tight because it’s easier than hating the people who caused it. But life has a way of bringing you back when your heart never will.

Love doesn’t fade …

But time means nothing, and forever might be only an illusion for them. Because where fate doesn’t step in, reality does. If hate is a game you play with your heart, and contempt is the game you play with your mind … where does that leave love?

Vendettas don’t care about love.

It’s in God’s hands now.

Note: CONTEMPT is the final book in a three-book Trilogy following the same couple.

goodreads-badge-add-38px

CONTEMPT teaser 1

EXCLUSIVE REVEAL EXCERPT

Lucia couldn’t breathe.

Oh, God.

She couldn’t fucking breathe.

She felt frozen on the side of the road. Standing just beyond the sidewalk, people blew behind her going in all directions. She could see people walking on the other side of the street, too. Going to somewhere, or coming from something. She didn’t know, but they all seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Her world had slowed.

Almost stopped.

Like her heart.

She was sure her manicured fingernails were digging crescent marks into her palms, but fuck, she couldn’t feel anything. Nothing but the beats of her heart. A thump-thump-thumping beat that felt like it was about to pulse its way right out of her chest, if it were possible.

She couldn’t hear anything, either. The city had seemed so loud to her that day. Almost two weeks in New York, and for whatever reason, the city came alive more than ever. And just like that, with a split second, it turned into nothing. No noise; nothing. There was only a rushing in her ears—her blood, she knew.

She had seen him.

Didn’t she?

She saw Renzo.

He was different, sure. Gone was the young man, and in his place was someone else who looked like him and stood like he used to. Gone was that leather jacket that he told her once he had won in a bare-knuckle boxing match. In its place was a new leather jacket full of zippers and opened so she could see the barest hint of ink peeking out at his throat. Strong features dusted with dark facial hair, and eyes so fucking expressive.

Those eyes hadn’t changed.

Even from all the way across the street, it had been his eyes that she noticed first.

Hadn’t it been him?

It had to be him.

Where had he gone?

Lucia felt like she had suddenly walked into the Twilight Zone, and absolutely nothing felt right or made sense. She knew that she probably looked like an idiot standing there on the side of the street staring across as though a ghost had just crossed her line of vision.

But that’s exactly what it felt like, too.

He was the fucking ghost.

A ghost from her past.

Sort of.

Renzo couldn’t be from her past when he had never left her mind, right? He still felt like a constant presence in her life every single day. He was never far from her thoughts. He was always in her heart, even though it felt empty, too.

God.

She couldn’t date because this man had ruined everything for her. Sex, men … love. All of it. She didn’t even try.

Her mind screamed move.

Her body didn’t.

She closed her eyes, and opened them again, looking away from the passing cab to stare across the street, only to find it was empty. Coming to visit Rose had been a last-minute decision—she kept in contact with Renzo’s younger sister just because she felt like it was the right thing to do. Sometimes, she didn’t call as often as she wanted to, and she certainly didn’t get to visit as much as she should, but Rose had never said anything one way or another.

And Diego …

That kid couldn’t wait to get on the phone with her. He could chat for hours about the most mundane things, but Lucia didn’t care. She would sit there and listen to him go on and on as long as he wanted her to listen.

She figured that since she was in the city, the least she could do was stop by. Especially as she still wasn’t sure when she was going back to Cali.

But she had not been expecting to see …

Well, had she even seen him?

It felt like her mind and heart had played a trick on her. It was as though she stepped out of that car, and saw what she wanted to see, and maybe … not what was there. Was that even possible?

Lucia didn’t know.

It felt like it.

Jesus.

But in her heart?

Her gut?

Her lungs?

That lost soul of hers?

It all said the same thing … she’d seen him.

She knew.

The parts of her that mattered—they knew.

CONTEMPT teaser 2

DON’T MISS THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE RENZO + LUCIA TRILOGY! FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED!

privilege cover

BUY NOW!

goodreads-badge-add-38px
harbor cover

BUY NOW!

goodreads-badge-add-38px

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four 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: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebook GoodreadsPinterestMailing ListAmazon Author Page

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

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HARBOR by Bethany-Kris – Release Blitz

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HARBOR

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #2
Publication Date: February 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

HARBOR cover

AVAILABLE NOW!

HARBOR front & back cover

SYNOPSIS

Lucia Marcello is the good girl—or she used to be. The youngest mafia principessa of her family, she’s not the one who falls for the man from the wrong side of the tracks, and she certainly shouldn’t have run across the country with him.

She’ll leave everything behind for him …

Renzo Zulla is the bad guy—society and life labeled him that way. The only person left to take care of his siblings, he couldn’t afford the distraction of falling in love with a rich girl far beyond his league, and he definitely shouldn’t have her riding shotgun as he runs for his life.

He doesn’t want her anywhere else …

Love keeps them together.
Fear keeps them running.
Chaos follows them everywhere they go.

How long can they keep moving before someone finally catches up?

The cost of love is always high.
Never harbor it blindly.

Note: Harbor is book two in a three-book trilogy following the same couple.

goodreads-badge-add-38px

HARBOR teaser 1

EXCLUSIVE RELEASE EXCERPT

“Are you almost done?” she asked.

“Almost. Diego just about finished?”

Lucia gave the boy a look, and found he was still working on his cheeseburger and had half of his fries left. “Almost, but not really.”

Renzo chuckled as he stood up, and came around the back of their SUV. He moved to the side of Lucia where he could bend down to the ground, put the license plate on, and still keep out of view with her mostly blocking what he was doing. Diego moved to the edge of the hatch, and watched his older brother with a curious eye.

“What are you doing, Ren?” Diego asked.

“Making us harder to find again, that’s all.”

“Oh, okay. Like Hide and Seek?”

Renzo glanced up, and smiled at his brother. “Sure, just like that.”

Seemingly satisfied with his brother’s answer, Diego scooted back inside the hatch and bit into his burger again while scribbling on the notepad with a red pencil crayon. He wasn’t paying Lucia and Renzo any attention, now. Renzo quickly finished up his work of switching the license plates on the vehicles—well, he didn’t put their original stolen plates on the white car. Instead, he tossed it inside the SUV to keep it before coming to stand next to Lucia. That left the white car with no plate but it was unlikely the owner would even notice that until they got off their shift later in the day.

“You sure you don’t want some food?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not really.”

“We’re not going to stop for a while.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re—”

“Why did you switch the license plates again?” she asked. “No, sorry … took the license plate from that car and also kept ours.”

“I told Diego why.”

Turning her back to the hatch, Renzo did the same. Lucia lowered her voice as she replied, “Yeah, but maybe I don’t believe that’s why.”

Renzo snuck an arm around her waist, pulled her in close, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Murmuring, he admitted, “You’re right. I was thinking it’d be better to switch the plates back to the old one after we cross over into Nebraska.”

“But why—”

“We need more money.”

Lucia stilled. “We have money, Ren.”

“Not enough. Not enough for Vegas.” His hand tightened on her waist, squeezing just hard enough to take her breath away but ground her all over again. Without a word, he tugged her around the SUV where Diego couldn’t see them. Renzo backed Lucia against the SUV, and came close enough that his nose brushed against hers. All she could see was him clouding her vision, and for a moment, the rest of the world just disappeared. She sucked in a quick breath a second before his lips grazed hers. “Vegas is the most expensive place to live—and we have to stay underground, so that’s going to make it worse. We’re gonna need shit, Lucia.”

“I know.”

“Fake IDs. A place to stay. That’s going to eat up a lot of cash all at once right there.”

Would it?

Lucia didn’t know.

“We need to eat, to sleep, to get dressed every day … more. Okay? So let me take care of it. Let me handle getting cash to do something with. You just keep Diego in the car, and keep him down out of sight until I get out of here. Then, we’re on the road again. No looking back, baby, right?”

“No looking back.”

He let her go then only to pull the gun he’d kept tucked in his waistband out of his jeans. Pulling out the mag, he checked the gun, and then quickly tucked it away once more. Passing the fast food restaurant a look, his attention came back to her in a blink. “I’ll hit somewhere as we head out of Nebraska.”

She knew, then.

He was going to rob a place.

HARBOR teaser 2

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four 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: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebook GoodreadsPinterestMailing ListAmazon Author Page

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

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HARBOR – Cover Reveal

HARBOR banner

HARBOR

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #2
Publication Date: February 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

HARBOR cover

Cover Reveal Credits: London Miller

HARBOR front and back cover

SYNOPSIS

Lucia Marcello is the good girl—or she used to be. The youngest mafia principessa of her family, she’s not the one who falls for the man from the wrong side of the tracks, and she certainly shouldn’t have run across the country with him.

She’ll leave everything behind for him …

Renzo Zulla is the bad guy—society and life labeled him that way. The only person left to take care of his siblings, he couldn’t afford the distraction of falling in love with a rich girl far beyond his league, and he definitely shouldn’t have her riding shotgun as he runs for his life.

He doesn’t want her anywhere else …

Love keeps them together.
Fear keeps them running.
Chaos follows them everywhere they go.

How long can they keep moving before someone finally catches up?

The cost of love is always high.
Never harbor it blindly.

Note: Harbor is book two in a three-book trilogy following the same couple.

goodreads-badge-add-38px

HARBOR teaser 1

EXCLUSIVE REVEAL EXCERPT

The world was prettiest when it was dark. Shrouded in silence, all distractions sleeping for the moment, a person could finally reflect on everything. Their life, and what had become of it. Their choices, and why they made them.

Anything.

A person could think about anything when it was dark.

Yet, the only thing Lucia Marcello could think about as she watched the dark highway climb ahead of their vehicle was how long they had been driving. She blinked one too many times, pretty sure that the last time she had stared at the highway, there had been a lot fewer trees and more sunlight. The highway had been far more congested, too.

She peered at the clock on the dash, taking in the time before counting back the hours.

“Twenty,” she murmured.

In the driver’s seat, Renzo passed her a look. Despite her confusion, she hadn’t for one second forgot that he was next to her driving like he had been for the last several hours—almost an entire day of driving, now. It was impossible for her to just forget this man was near. Her whole body felt it, like he lit her on fire in the best way possible. All of her little hairs stood on end, and her nerves snapped. Even sitting beside her, he wasn’t nearly close enough.

Or, that’s how she felt.

Strange how that worked …

His brow quirked up, a silent question without him saying anything to her out loud. He wouldn’t want to wake his sleeping brother in the back seat, after all. He’d even turned down the music when it seemed to be making Diego toss and turn more than usual. Always his first concern, Diego took importance.

Lucia didn’t mind.

“What are you mumbling about over there?”

Had she been mumbling?

“We’ve been driving for twenty hours,” she told him quietly.

Renzo nodded, and his grip on the SUV’s steering wheel tightened. “Yeah, I know.”

If he’d been keeping track, too, he hadn’t said anything to Lucia about it. Then again, they had just taken off … they were basically on the run in a stolen vehicle after burning another stolen vehicle. She didn’t blame him for being distracted, and focusing on the things he needed his attention to be on.

How many hours they had been driving probably wasn’t even a blip on his radar. But it was on hers, now. The more she watched Renzo from the side, the easier it was for her to see what he was trying to suppress. His gaze dropped every so often, darting to the clock before going back to the road. His eyes were dimmed with tiredness even if it was hard to see in the low lighting of the vehicle. He kept that tight grip on the steering wheel no matter what, though, but Lucia was wondering how much effort that was taking him to do exactly that.

“Ren?”

“Hmm, what, baby?”

She smiled.

He’d said it so absently, like she wasn’t far from his mind now, but he was still worrying about other things. He needed to sleep. They needed to stop and rest, or she needed to drive. Either one would be fine for Lucia as long as it meant Renzo was going to relax for a couple of hours, and close his eyes.

“I can drive,” she said.

“I know you can drive.”

“So let me do that for a while. Pull over, let me drive.”

His gaze drifted to her again, and the edges of his lips quirked up in a smile. “I’m good.”

“But—”

“Lucia, I don’t even know where I’m going. How are you going to know, huh?”

He did have a good point even if she didn’t want to admit it. What good would it do them if she ended up getting lost while he was sleeping?

“Still haven’t figured that out, then?” she asked.

“Where we’re going?”

“Yeah.”

HARBOR teaser 2

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four 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: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebook GoodreadsPinterestMailing ListAmazon Author Page

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

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