Allyson Charles's Blog, page 5

Football Fail

I just received a note from a reader that I placed the wrong college football team in the wrong town. Gah! I thought I had researched that properly. I will try to have my publisher reupload a corrected version of the book, but I think the chances of them wanting to do that will be slim. So for all the Michigan State fans out there, I apologize

The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway starts today! Head on over and enter each day for a chance to win. I've joined up with some fabulous authors - Leah Marie Brown, Kieran Kramer, Jules Bennett, Susan Fox, and Fern Michaels - and each day one of us will be giving away a prize. I know it isn't Halloween yet, but it's time to get in a little early Christmas spirit!

THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING SWAP Teaser #2

He sat forward, widening his legs to fit around hers. One of her curls had come loose from the knot at her neck, and he wound it around his finger. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he rubbed his thumb up and down her silky neck. “You sure?”“Right now, I’m not sure of anything,” she said, eyes wide. She leaned closer, her breath brushing across his lips. “Oh, screw it.” Grabbing the back of his neck, she pulled him in, fusing his mouth to hers.Hot. Allison was so damn hot, taking what she wanted. He let her play, nibbling at his bottom lip and delivering sharp nips that made him growl. He forgot the bites the second she swept her tongue across the seam of his lips and pressed in. She sucked the tip of his tongue, and every muscle in his body hardened. She explored the recesses of his mouth, tickling the roof with her tongue, and he throbbed.He couldn’t take it anymore. Playtime was over. Raking his fingers through her hair, he gripped the back of Allison’s head and angled her mouth. His tongue tangled with hers, tasted every inch of her mouth. He was on sensory overload. She was velvet and silk, sharp edges and lush curves. And that was just her mouth.Wrapping an arm around her waist, he stood, hauling her flush with him. He groaned. God, her curves just didn’t stop. He slid his hand up her side, the fabric of her dress soft as down. He cupped a breast, hefted its weight, and almost melted on the spot.Allison pulled back, her soft pants brushing across his lips. A small wrinkle creased her forehead. “I’m sorry. That was stupid of me. I can’t do this.”His fingers tingled, aching to feel her body. “Why is it stupid? It’s obvious we both want each other. What’s wrong with that?”She laughed, sounding defeated. “Nothing. Under normal circumstances, nothing would be wrong with it. It’s just not something I want to do anymore. I’m looking for more than a roll in the hay with someone who will be gone in a month.” Her shoulders rounded. “And I can’t keep saying one last fling before I set my mind to settling down.”Luke shoved his hands in his pockets. They needed to be restrained to keep from reaching for her. He took deep breaths, trying to bring his body back from overdrive into neutral. He was hard as a brick, and she was determined to save herself for something serious—someone serious.The throbbing behind his right eye returned. He would never want to hurt a woman by promising more than he could offer. But damn if he wasn’t tempted.She laid a hand on his arm and squeezed. “Both my sisters are married to nice, dependable men, and I have two nieces. That’s what I want. No matter how much my hormones want to take you up to my bed and have their way with you, that’s not going to get me to my dream.”“Nice. Dependable.” He shoved his hands deeper in his pockets. “It doesn’t sound like you want a husband. It sounds like you want a pet dog.”She took a step back and ran her hands down her dress, smoothing out the creases. “There’s nothing wrong with dependable.”“It’s boring.”“Reliable.”Raising his hand, he picked up a lock of her hair and twisted it around his finger. “That’s just a synonym for dependable, not an argument.”“This isn’t something you can argue with me about. It’s my decision.” She took a step away before turning back. “I’ll show you to your room. And I really am sorry I threw myself at you like that, gave you the wrong message. It won’t happen again, hot shot,” she said with a wink, her good humor restored.Luke picked up his bags and trudged after her up the stairs. She bounced back as quickly as her curls did, and a tiny kernel of resentment blossomed in Luke’s gut. He didn’t want her to be heartbroken, but a token display of dejection wouldn’t go amiss. Luke was man enough to admit that the fact that he was never going to have Allison Stuart caused an ache behind his breastbone.And just for a moment, he thought about what it would take to be the kind of man Allison wanted.Preorder LInks:AmazonAppleB&NKoboGoogle

THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING SWAP Teaser #1

     “Is this restaurant a step down for you?” Allison asked sweetly. She twirled the tip of the cleaver in a circle. “Is my kitchen not up to your usual standards?”     Luke appeared to have more balls than brains. He stood firm. “A kitchen can always be improved. Yours is no exception.”     He was giving her an ulcer. Allison’s stomach grumbled in complaint, and she knew just how it felt. There were some things that just weren’t done, and criticizing your boss’s kitchen was one of them. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you not to piss off a woman holding an eight-inch blade?”     “That’s a solid piece of advice,” Delilah said in agreement.     Luke threw his hands in the air. “Fine. I think you’re making a mistake, but it’s your restaurant.”     “I’m glad you remember that,” Allison said.     Luke’s lips twitched, and he rocked back onto his heels. “I’d heard your nickname was the Tyrant, but I couldn’t see it till now.”     Allison spluttered.     “I mean it as a compliment,” Luke said. “You don’t let anyone push you around. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”     Luke traced a finger along the slick metal surface of the counter, his eyes hot, and Allison felt it as though his finger danced along her spine. She could see in his expression that he meant it. He did find her take-charge attitude a turn-on. And damn if that didn’t make her go a little weak in the knees. Still, she couldn’t let that claim go unchallenged.     “My name is n—”     “No?” Delilah jumped in.     Luke chuckled.     Allison’s jaw grew stiff. If she could incinerate people with the heat of her glare, her restaurant would be down two cooks. They’d be nothing but little piles of dust. “Not no. And not Tyrant. My employees love me.”     Peals of laughter rang through the kitchen.     Allison wagged the knife in the air. “Delilah, that advice about being nice to the woman holding a knife? It goes for you, too.” Spinning, she hammered the cleaver into her cutting board, the blade plunging a quarter inch into the wood. She stepped back, and the cleaver stood upright, quivering in its new slot. With a pointed look at her cooks, she stormed to her office.     The hoots of amusement behind her back rather diminished the effect of her exit.Flexing her fingers, Allison tried to remember all the reasons why she needed to keep Luke. She was down a cook, but Allison didn’t mind working overtime. It was Sadie’s wedding that was the roadblock. No way could she cater it and keep her kitchen going while down a man.     So, she’d deal with the nuisance until after the wedding. Luke was like poison ivy, an irritating rash that kept spreading the more she handled him. But she’d survived the itchiness and inflammation before. She was tough. She could take it.     What was harder to take was the sick feeling that she was slowly losing control of her kitchen.Preorder Links:AmazonBarnes&NobleAppleKoboGoogle

Creepy. As. F&%$!

 This is what I came home to last night. A TV screen that looked like it was off except for the floating head. Scared the bejeebus out of me until I realized no, it wasn't a ghost in my TV a la Poltergeist. Word of warning - this is what happens when you leave the house, with the TV paused on a Poldark episode. 

A blog by any other name...

...probably isn't a blog. And this page has been lacking in blog activity for a while. I tried, but I stink at it, so I'm not going to try anymore. Instead, I'm just going to post whatever random thing I want. Picture, rant, random joke? Who knows? The sky's the limit.  Starting with pics and thoughts from my latest road trip. I drove up to Oregon to see the total solar eclipse (awesome, but all my pictures of that event are truly atrocious). But on the way I stopped in Lassen Volcanic National Park. A gem of a small park, and one that had interesting place names. One of which was CHAOS JUMBLES, which is now the new name for this page (and maybe life). Other names include BUMPASS HELL, BROKEOFF MOUNTAIN, the contradictory COLD BOILING LAKE, and CRYSTAL CLIFFS. 

Hope to return to blogging soon, but it ain't happening yet.

Facebook party 5/9/17!

Hello everyone. I will be taking part in a FB party this Thursday at 5pm PT. The entire party is from 4-7pm, and will have five other great authors giving out free stuff! I'll be giving away free ebooks of my latest release, WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU?. Click here -https://www.facebook.com/groups/216903272072959/- to join the group, and join in the fun.

Mr. Darcy - The original Alpha-Hole

Yesterday, I finished the first edit on a new manuscript and decided to treat myself to a Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice five-hour extravaganza. That miniseries just seems to get better with time.However, I'm wondering how I never realized before that P&P is one of the first billionaire alpha-hole romances. (Inflation-adjusted, of course). Darcy is a complete tool at first, although in the sexiest of ways. I think it went unnoticed by me because of the language and manners of the time. Darcy would never swear in front of us, or manhandle anyone like our current heroes do (not even a long-over due beating to Wickham), so his general assholery got overlooked.But he was pretty darned insulting to Lizzie the first half of the story. Redeemed in the second half. The perfect alpha-hole. And Austen's descriptions of Pemberley were a fantasy of a luxurious life that a girl in any age could dream about.I need to go reread Austen with a fresh eye. Seem how many other romance tropes she was the forbear of.

Springtime, and the livin' is delicious

I know many people are buried under several feet of fluffy white stuff, but here in Northern California, everything is green and lush, thanks to the end of our drought. And with our wonderful California spring, comes the start of our fruit harvest.In my smalltown Pineville romance series, good food is never far away for my characters. In WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU?, out this May, Allison Stuart serves up some of her delish strawberry-rhubarb pie from her diner. Strawberries are now in season on the west coast, so I thought I'd share Allison's recipe. It's hard to find a time when both strawberries and rhubarb are both in season, so I like to keep a bag of frozen rhubarb at the ready in my freezer.Allison's Strawberry Rhubarb PieCrust:1 1/2 c. flour1 Tbsp. sugar1/4 tsp. salt1/3 c. ice water1 tsp. grated lemon rind1/2 c. unsalted butterMix flour, sugar, salt, ice water, and lemon rind together. Cut in butter. Knead to dough consistency. Roll out 2/3 of dough into circle to line pie plate. Use remaining dough for lattice top.Filling:1 1/2 pints sliced strawberries2 c. diced rhubarb1 c. sugar2 Tbsp. Kirsch or other cherry liquor1 Tbsp. tapioca flourMix all filling ingredients together. Let stand 15 minutes. Fill pie and cover with lattice top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden-brown.Nothing tastes like springtime like the sweet and tart combo of strawberries and rhubarb!For more SpringFling blog posts, visit:Conniue di Marcohttp://www.conniedimarco.com/blog/Gillian Baker:http://gilianbaker.com/blog/K.B. Owen:http://kbowenmysteries.com/blogLayla Reyne:https://laylareyne.tumblr.comKirsten Weiss:https://kirstenweiss.com/blog  Mona Karel:https://mona-karel.com/blog/Misterio Press:https://misteriopress.comShannon Esposito:http://murderinparadise.com/blog-2/Victoria De La O:http://www.victoriadelao.com/