Laura Carter's Blog, page 5

May 12, 2016

Love Italian food? So does Gregroy Ryans!

Love Italian food? Try this simple, super-tasty recipe...

Al Italiano Meato Pasto by Gregory
As featured in
VENGEFUL LOVE: DECEPTION

“Who knew Mr. Sexy Bazillionaire CEO could cook?”

Deception (Vengeful Love, #2) by Laura Carter




Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

300g of fusilli or penne pasta
75g of Italian meats of choice, thinly sliced
25g of pepperoni or similar spicy sausage, thinly sliced
400g (1 tin) of chopped tomatoes
70g of double concentrate tomato puree
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 large red onion
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red (medium hot) chilli
½ tspn oregano (dry) or equivalent fresh
½ tspn basil (dry) or equivalent fresh
1 tspn ground smoked paprika
½ tspn ground nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil for cooking
Grated parmesan for topping

Method:

1. Thinly slice the red onion and peppers, lengthways.

2. Drizzle olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, drop in the crushed garlic followed by the sliced onion. Fry off until the onion browns slightly. Then add the sliced peppers and stir until the vegetables start to soften.

3. Add in the oregano, basil, smoked paprika, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and around 8 mill turns of black pepper. Add chilli here if you like your pasta sauce to have a little kick. Mix in the herbs and spices then add the tomato puree, coating all the vegetables.

4. Add the Italian meats (including pepperoni) then the chopped tomatoes. Stir until everything is evenly covered, then turn the heat low to simmer whilst you boil your pasta.

5. Boil your pasta with a pinch of salt (the timing will depend on whether you chose fresh or dried pasta, so cook this to your liking).

6. Drain the pasta thoroughly and mix with the pasta sauce.

To serve, top with grated parmesan. Rosemary focaccia or garlic bread makes a great accompaniment.

Gregory’s suggested tipple: Malbec


Vengeful Love: Deception is the second book in Laura Carter’s darkly suspenseful, sinfully sexy Vengeful Love series.

Laura is a lawyer by day. By night she writes dark and sinfully sexy romance novels. Her debut trilogy, Vengeful Love, combines her love of devastatingly attractive billionaires, sassy alpha females and dry martinis.

Make sure you drop by Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to say to Laura, she loves hearing from readers:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauracarterau...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LCarterAuthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lauracartera...
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Published on May 12, 2016 05:35

May 9, 2016

Vengeful Love: Black Diamonds - Sneak Peek!

DARKER. HOTTER. EVEN MORE SUSPENSEFUL.

The countdown is on! VENGEFUL LOVE: BLACK DIAMONDS, the epic finale to the VENGEFUL LOVE trilogy releases in one week!

To celebrate the final installment of the dark and sinfully sexy VENGEFUL LOVE series, I'm giving you a sneaky peek.


Exclusive Excerpt

Dubai.

As the first act of a 1950s-style rock ‘n’ roll medley draws to a close and I finish the last dregs of my dirty martini, Paddy appears. His bicep is tight under the short sleeve of his white cotton shirt and his messy dark waves are tucked behind his ears. There’s a full glass of what looks like champagne, golden and lightly effervescent, on his tray.
“Hey lady, you look better than you did this morning.”
“Wish I could say the same about you.”
He shakes his head with a short laugh. “So listen, your man there asked me to bring this over.” He gestures to the full flute with a flick of his head.
I look to the bar and see a group of six—three men, three women—huddled by the barstools, laughing. “Thanks but you know the score.”
“No drinks from strangers,” he says in a mocking, bored voice that sounds almost mid-yawn. “I told him what you’d say.”
“Yet you’re still standing here with a drink for me?”
His cute smile pulls on his pink lips and his sapphire eyes twinkle. “Well, he tipped me more than I’ll earn in my shift to bring you this particular drink.”
“What is it?”
His smile turns to a mischievous grin. “Before I tell you, I have to know. If I’d have asked you out for, you know, a date or whatever, would there have been a chance?”
I cock my head to one side. “You mean, would I have been your rebound ex-pat?”
He laughs. “To be sure.”
“I don’t think two broken hearts make a whole one, Paddy.”
He nods, one curt move. “It’s Pol Rodger 2002,” he says, placing the drink in front of me with a small napkin that’s been folded into a triangle.
My stomach tightens as I take the napkin and unfold it. I’m holding my breath as I read the one word written there.
Aurora.
I press my hand to my chest to control my pounding heart and turn back to the bar.
Holy Shit!
He stands at the bar, leaning on one forearm, sipping from a glass that I know is filled with Scotch. His white shirt is rolled up to his elbows, three buttons open at the top. His muscles flex through the cotton as he moves. With one leg bent and resting on the low rail around the bottom of the bar, his cream chinos are pulled tight across his firm arse.
As if he feels my eyes on him, he turns, and those intense brown eyes lock on mine. The world stops turning, the room fades to nothing around us.
God, I love him.
“I take it you’re good with Pol Rodger?”
“Hmm?”
“The Pol Rodger?”
I drag my attention from Gregory to Paddy and process his words. “Yes. Sure. Fine.”
“And I take it that’s your heartbreaker.”
I don’t know whether I shake my head or nod or do neither. Paddy moves away as the most mesmerising man I’ve ever met walks towards me.
Pull yourself together, Scarlett. Now!
I’m looking up through my lashes as he reaches my table.
“Scarlett.” I’d forgotten how my names rolls off his tongue like velvet.
I subtly drag air into my lungs holding his stare. I won’t blink first. “Gregory.”
“You look skinny,” he says, finally breaking eye contact, giving me permission to close my lids.
“You flew five thousand miles to insult me?”
He reaches down, sweeps up my champagne flute and sips. I watch his throat as he slowly swallows the bubbles. My lips part.
“Actually, it’s more like three and a half thousand,” he says, placing the flute down on the table and sliding it towards me. “And no. I flew here because I don’t care to be called a son of a bitch.”
“That’s right. You don’t like the truth, Gregory, do you?”
The faintest sign of a smirk rises on his tantalising lips. “It’s funny you should mention that because the truth is one thing I came here to address.”
“Well, that would be a first.” My words are much more confident than I feel. He’s rugby tackled me sideways, but I sit back into my seat and cross one leg over, sipping Pol Rodger.
His brows furrow. He pouts. God, I want to bite his lips. “The other thing I came to address is that goddamn attitude of yours.”
I scoff a little too theatrically. “Thanks for the champagne, Gregory, but you might as well leave now because I won’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth.” My chair scrapes along the floor as I stand. “Excuse me.”
Marching past him, I make it out of the bar to the landing. Thumping the lift button, I glance nervously between the bar entrance and the four lifts. “Come on,” I say through my teeth, my foot bouncing, my bare arms folded around my stomach.
“Don’t walk away from me, Scarlett. I came here to set you straight on a few things and you’re going to listen to what I’ve got to say.”


Vengeful Love: Black Diamonds
Book 3 of Vengeful Love

Amazon US: amzn.to/1WvjLLz
Amazon UK: amzn.to/1TTdCLl
Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/1Mr5aLv
BAM: bit.ly/1LuqPaQ
Kobo: bit.ly/1TTdZ8z
iBooks: apple.co/1RSJqd5
GooglePlay: bit.ly/1Wvk88S

I loved him with all of me.

It wasn’t enough.

Gregory Ryans was everything I wanted, but he didn’t trust me with the truth.

When I walked away from him, I should have known Gregory would follow. For a man like him, walking away—no matter the odds—is never an option.

He’s come to offer me the deal of a lifetime: his heart. All his secrets. Him. Forever.

But at what cost?

The past refuses to stay buried. There are things about his family, dangerous things even Gregory didn’t know.

This time, we'll have to fight together to save what we’ve built. To show our enemies that love like ours can’t be destroyed.

I believe that.

Does he?

Vengeful Love: Black Diamonds
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Published on May 09, 2016 12:17

May 5, 2016

5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT VENGEFUL LOVE (WHY THE EDITING PROCESS IS CRUCIAL)

VENGEFUL LOVE is a dark and sinfully sexy romance in which Scarlett Heath, young, high-flying lawyer, pitches to work for a prospective BAZILLIONAIRE client, Mr. Gregory Ryans. Scarlett is reluctant to fall for a client but this man is devastatingly handsome, and powerful in the most arrogant, sexy-as-hell way. And he has his sights set on his new lawyer.

It doesn't take long for Scarlett to realise that there's more to Gregory than meets the eye. And more to his corporate acquisition. Gregory isn't just taking over a company. He's embarking on a hostile takeover and the consequences of Scarlett's involvement could be catastrophic.

Scarlett is forced to choose between right and wrong. The question is, can she walk away from the man she has unequivocally fallen for?

VENGEFUL LOVE: DECEPTION gets darker and hotter as Scarlett becomes deeply embedded in Gregory's sinister world. In VENGEFUL LOVE: BLACK DIAMONDS the extent of Gregory's twisted past is unveiled. A past so dark his shadows keep Gregory awake at night. Scarlett and Gregory are left fighting for their survival in love and life.

There's the background. Now, five things that might surprise you about the VENGEFUL LOVE series (shhh, it's a secret!).

(1) VENGEFUL LOVE was originally written as a sweet romance.

It seems crazy now to think VENGEFUL LOVE could have been anything other than a passionate, steamy romance, but it was. I had written and redrafted the book countless times before a friend of mine read the manuscript and started screaming at me to STOP FADING TO BLACK! She wanted to see behind the bedroom door. So, I saved a new draft of the book and damn did I have fun making VENGEFUL LOVE the red-hot trilogy it is today.

(2) It was never supposed to be a series.

I considered numerous possible endings to VENGEFUL LOVE. It wasn’t until I was in the final stage of a first draft that I decided exactly how the ending would go (no spoilers!). As soon as I made that decision, I realised VENGEFUL LOVE was far from over.

(3) Many moons ago, VENGEFUL LOVE was called SUITS.

I was around one-third of the way into the first draft of VENGEFUL LOVE when I realised that Suits wasn’t the right book title. First, I found Suits the American TV series (as in the delectable Harvey Specter). Then, I realised VENGEFUL LOVE was darker (and, later, sexier) than I'd originally planned, which wasn’t reflected in the title Suits. I renamed the book and, happily, Harlequin didn't change any of the book titles post-acquisition.

(4) The trilogy was originally set in 2012, before the Shard had even opened.

I was living and working in London in 2012, sharing a two bed place by Tower Bridge with a fellow lawyer. The Shard was under construction at the time and I'd walk to work along the Thames staring up at it, wondering what kind of person could afford one of the £50 million pads in the top of London's tallest building. At some point my brain conjured up a hot mogul with a square jaw and a sexy South African twang. Mr. Gregory Ryans was born. But the books weren’t published until 2016, so I was advised by my editor to bring them up to date. This meant losing references like fresh paint in Gregory’s apartment, and certain elements of the law had to be amended.

(5) Until almost the end of the first draft of VENGEFUL LOVE, Sandy (Scarlett's stand-in mum) was a much older lady.

When I decided she'd have a more pivotal role in the series, I went back and switched Sandy into her early forties. Cue her hunky-dunky, Jackson (Gregory’s personal trainer-cum-driver-cum-bodyguard).

I hope you agree that VENGEFUL LOVE is better for these edits. Sometimes change is a good thing!



START THE VENGEFUL LOVE SERIES NOW.

He's a devastatingly handsome, filthy-rich CEO. She's a high-flying London lawyer. All it takes is one boardroom pitch. One hostile takeover.

Vengeful Love is darkly suspenseful, sinfully sexy white-collar romance at its very best.

I've always walked the straight and narrow—following the rules, never straying from my chosen path.

Until Mr. Sexy Bazillionaire CEO Gregory Ryans walked into my life. It was only supposed to be business, but one brush of his wicked lips against my skin changed everything.

I can't deny what this man inspires in me. I'll do anything he asks…even help destroy the enemies from his past.

But he's hiding more than he's telling me.

When our love leads to tragedy, there's no going back. Gregory's past is trying to kill our future.

They say love can bring a person to their knees.

I've just proven that vengeful love is the strongest force of all.

Book 1 of Vengeful Love

Amazon US: amzn.to/1Tle3O3
Amazon UK: amzn.to/1M2lfqT
Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/1pd17Nm
BAM: bit.ly/1YGoPOH
Kobo: bit.ly/21mwLnN
iBooks: apple.co/1WeIGD2
GooglePlay: bit.ly/1RceZxQ

Available in ebook, paperback and audio.

Praise for the Vengeful Love series

"I missed a deadline because I couldn't rip myself away from this immense tale of passion, angst and corruption." - Jodi Ellen Malpas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Man and One Night.

"If you love a great alpha male, then Gregory Ryans in the Vengeful Love series is going to rock your world! An intensely passionate and addictive series. I highly recommend it." - Alice Raine, author of The Darkness Within Him.

"[A] fast-paced, scorching romance that moves from boardroom to bedroom, to the darker corners of desire and retribution." - Book Page.
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Published on May 05, 2016 01:10

February 22, 2016

GIVEAWAY - eARC VENGEFUL LOVE

*****GIVEAWAY*****
***WIN AN EARLY RELEASE DIGITAL COPY OF VENGEFUL LOVE***

To celebrate the 4 week countdown to the release of VENGEFUL LOVE, you have a chance to win an advance review copy of the ebook and be one of the first to read Scarlett and Gregory's story.

For more details and to enter visit my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/lauracarterau...

I've always walked the straight and narrow—following the rules, never straying from my chosen path.

Until Mr. Sexy Bazillionaire CEO Gregory Ryans walked into my life. It was only supposed to be business, but one brush of his wicked lips against my skin changed everything.

I can't deny what this man inspires in me. I'll do anything he asks…even help destroy the enemies from his past.

But he's hiding more than he's telling me.

When our love leads to tragedy, there's no going back. Gregory's past is trying to kill our future.

They say love can bring a person to their knees.

I've just proven that vengeful love is the strongest force of all.

Book One of Vengeful Love

Dubbed a Most Anticipated Read of 2016 by Book Riot.

Voted a 5 STAR TOP PICK by The Romance Reviews.

Vengeful Love releases 21 March.

Find out more about the VENGEFUL LOVE TRILOGY here http://www.lauracarterauthor.com/#!bo...
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Published on February 22, 2016 09:37

February 21, 2016

VENGEFUL LOVE Paperback pre-order now available!

http://www.amazon.com/Vengeful-Love-L...

He's a devastatingly handsome, filthy-rich CEO. She's a high-flying London lawyer. All it takes is one boardroom pitch. One hostile takeover.

VENGEFUL LOVE is darkly suspenseful, sinfully sexy white-collar romance at its very best.

I've always walked the straight and narrow—following the rules, never straying from my chosen path.

Until Mr. Sexy Bazillionaire CEO Gregory Ryans walked into my life. It was only supposed to be business, but one brush of his wicked lips against my skin changed everything.

I can't deny what this man inspires in me. I'll do anything he asks…even help destroy the enemies from his past.

But he's hiding more than he's telling me.

When our love leads to tragedy, there's no going back. Gregory's past is trying to kill our future.

They say love can bring a person to their knees.

I've just proven that vengeful love is the strongest force of all.

Dubbed a Most Anticipated Read of 2016 by Book Riot.

Marked as a 5* TOP PICK by The Romance Reviews.

Vengeful Love (#1) releases 21 March 2016.
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Published on February 21, 2016 06:48 Tags: vengefullove-vengefulloveseries