Tina Gayle's Blog, page 42

Out with the Old, In with The New Cover for Marketing Exec's Widow

I decided to update the look of my Executive Wives' Club books and just received the new cover for Marketing Exec's Widow.


Blurb:


Needing to revive her life and jump start her heart, Jennifer Larson is facing the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executives Wives' Club continue to mourn their husbands, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney.

But does he love her or her money?




Excerpt:


Reaching the landing, she sailed across and stopped by the first bedroom door. A brief glimpse revealed the same disappointing result as the space downstairs. “No, but there are a number of small towns nearby that might have what you’re looking for.”


An enticing male scent floated through the air, a second before a hand gripped the doorframe by her shoulder.


Every female gene sprang to attention at his close proximity.


Desire poured through her, drenching her with emotions she hadn’t felt in months, hell, maybe even years. Her knees wobbled and she staggered into the doorframe, but remained standing.


Hagan peered over her shoulder and blocked her retreat. “Not bad, if I want to have another office suite up here. I can tear out this wall and make a larger lobby, or close off the doorway and create another entrance into the room.”


He wandered to the next bedroom.


She gulped in a quick breath and air screamed back into her lungs. The residual scent of his citrusy cologne flowed in too and prompted her out-of-control hormones to form images of him: lying in bed, on top of her, his chest nestled against hers, his lips a breath away from…


Oh, my, a year without sex and I’m losing it.


Craig, why didn’t you divorce me before you died?


Jen gathered her strength and followed Hagan through the house. The easy flow of his long limbs showed incredible grace for a big man. So tempting, yet, she couldn’t pursue him. Not now, not with everyone watching her, they expected her to act like a grieving widow. If she didn’t, they’d forever brand her as an unloving wife. 

Read First Chapter of "Marketing Exec's Widow" and Reviews




Purchase ebook at Smashwords | B&N | Kobo | APPLE | At Amazon (worldwide link)



This book is also on sale now until the end of the month for 99 cents.


Grab your copy today,


Tina

@GoddessFish Presents Luck of the Draw by @CheriAllan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Cheri will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner and a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to another randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post.

If only life had a refresh button...

Kate Mitchell never planned to be a 31 year-old widowed single mom, but when her soon-to-be-EX husband up and dies, her dreams of finishing college and starting over are thrown in the air like a game of 52 pick-up. When she’s given a leave of absence from work and told to “quit or recommit,” Kate retreats to idyllic Sugar Falls, New Hampshire, to figure out whether she can discover her passion and pay the bills. Cue the fresh air, summer sunshine and one sexy local contractor.

Tall, dark, and handy…

Volunteer fireman and all-around hunky guy in a toolbelt, Jim Pearson has sworn off complicated women with messy baggage. They cling to his nice-guy stability and skills with a power saw just long enough to straighten out their lives and move on… but then he meets the cute single mom staying at Grams’ lake house for the summer.

While a sizzling attraction draws them together, Jim's distrust of complicated women and Kate's incredibly complicated life threaten to pull them apart. But forces beyond their control--match-making grandmothers, the lazy backdrop of summer, and their own reckoning with the past--conspire to make them risk it all... and bet on love.

Now enjoy and excerpt:

She could hear their breathing in the quiet room, the air a bit close from the heat of the day. She smiled.

He grimaced.

“Kate, I—”

She put her finger to his lips. “Please, don’t. I know this must seem crazy. We hardly know each other, but… I don’t want to analyze it. Not now.”

She didn’t want to talk. Didn’t want to admit her behavior was so far removed from her usual comfort zone it was like observing someone else. But Jim made her feel safe in a way she couldn’t put her finger on. Safe… and alive. No, that wasn’t right. He made her feel… hopeful. There was something about his eyes. So gentle, so kind. When she looked into his eyes, all the sad, lonely years melted away, and her heart felt light again, like a butterfly in her breast. She hadn’t felt that feeling in so very, very long. She couldn’t bear to turn it away. Not now. Not yet.

He nodded, his gaze boring into hers as he grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. His thumb brushed over her fingers as he looked at her hand. “You took off your ring,” he whispered.

She nodded, and he brought her hand to his lips again, looked her in the eyes. “Tell me what you want,” he said.

“For you to,” she managed a shaky breath, “do that again?”

He grinned against her wrist…

Cheri Allan lives in a charming fixer-upper in rural New Hampshire with her husband, two children, one dog, four cats and an excessive amount of optimism. She’s a firm believer in do-it-yourself, new beginnings and happily-ever-afters, so after years of wearing suits, she’s grateful to finally put her English degree to good use writing romance. When not writing, you might find her whizzing down the slopes of a nearby mountain or inadvertently killing perennials in her garden.

Cheri loves to hear from readers! E-mail her at cheri@cheriallan.com, friend her at facebook.com/cheriallanauthor, or visit her website and blog at www.cheriallan.com. Luck of the Draw, Book 1 in the ‘Betting on Romance’ series is available now from Amazon and Smashwords. Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448863

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheri-Allan-Books/143131549193624

https://twitter.com/CheriAllan

http://www.cheriallan.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thanks for being on my blog,


Tina

Long Time Walk on Water by @JoanBSimon a #RockingSummerRomance

LONG TIME WALK ON WATER  by Joan Barbara Simon
 
 
Summary:
 
Emily Thompson, Rose to her friends, emigrates to the motherland, England, in search of a better life. It will be hard work for the young mother in this rich man’s country; above all she must also come to terms with this unknown phenomenon; di Hinglish dem. 
James Dunbar. Jack is what he answers to. Picking his way through the mucky incidents of life, he consoles himself that things will get better.  
They happen to meet at a bus-stop, Emily and Jack.  
A tale of how the humble live whilst waiting for their dreams to come true.  
* 
Behind closed doors with sausage and mash: Jack and The Better Life?           
            “Hello, love.”
A peck on the cheek, “Nice day?” She wipes her hands on her apron. Pushes her hair into place. She had been beautiful once.
            “Same as usual.”
Jack sits down at the kitchen table in the hot, small, cluttered place so hard to air on cold days such as these. The paint blistered on the wall around the cooker.
            “What’s for dinner, love?” He picks up a crayon. Colours, absent-mindedly, with daughter, Nina.
Jack’s wife stands over the sink peeling potatoes. “Police were round. Door-to-door questioning. Some old lady in Havelock was mugged coming back from the post office this morning, I dunno... Ben got a gold star for a story he wrote at school, didn’tya, darling? Go’n show daddy your gold star...” she dunks the peeled potato into the sink of cold water then plops it into the pot on the cooker. Leaning against the cupboard, she begins to clean the juice and mud of the potatoes from her fingernails, looking, every now and then, out of the window. Nothing ever happened out there, but you look out of the window just the same, like a fish in its bowl doing the rounds.
Jack looks at his wife. How many times had he told her it drove him up the wall the way she kept fiddling around with her fingernails like that.
            “What’s for dinner, love?” he asked once more.
            “Oh! Sausage n mash. Got a little baked beans left over from yesterday. You can ’ave those.   
‘There are no losers in Long Time Walk on Water. I see the vulnerability caused by need and I honour those who seek a way out. Harsh at times, Long Time Walk on Water is ultimately uplifting and life-affirming.’
(Joan Barbara Simon, interviewed by Lucy Walton for Female First) 
If you, too, enjoyed reading this, here’s where you can read more: 
Waterstones    Barnes & Noble   The Book Depository   Smashwords
Amazon US   Amazon UK   Amazon France    Amazon Germany    
About the Author

Dr Joan Barbara Simon divides her time between researching children’s literacy development and writing fiction. Having obtained her first Ph.D. in educational studies, she’s dared to go for her ultimate challenge: a Ph.D in Creative Writing.  Of herself, she says: ‘I’ve made it my mission to look more closely at undefined spaces as the best way to resist the temptation and comfort of easy answers. I’m interested in a broad range of language issues. Currently wrapping my brain around the political properties of words as polysemic, liminal entities and the nature of their common borders with the visual arts and gendered realities. That said, I’m a nice girl, so talk to me.
If you, too, enjoyed reading this, here’s where you can read more:
Waterstones    Barnes & Noble   The Book Depository   SmashwordsAmazon US   Amazon UK   Amazon France    Amazon Germany 
Stay in touch with Joan Barbara Simon:
joan-barbara-simon.com    facebook    twitter    blog


Thanks for sharing Joan,


Tina

Summer Time Questions for @KimHeadlee

Five easy question Kim. 


 
Ice Tea or Lemonade? Depends on how hot I am, and whether I feel in the mood for spicy or sweet. :D
 
Lake or ocean? Ocean, then lake. Any open body of water will do, really. Just call me “Ariel in reverse.”
 
Sandals or Flipflops? Sandals with a toe thong, but not the real blingy kind.
 
Sit in the shadow of a tree or on the front/back porch? Oh, here is where you bump me off and take my real estate. I have a second, fully appointed house on my hundred-acre property called The Retreat—with a second-story screened porch off the library. The nearest neighbors are the horses & chickens on an adjacent farm.
 
Ball cap or floppy hat? Ball cap. With or without a Seattle Mariners or University of Washington Huskies logo.

Kim Headlee
 
Now, let's learn more about Kim.
 
She lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, and assorted wildlife. People; creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins -- the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-20th century -- seem to be sticking around for a while yet.



Kim is a Seattle native (when she used to live in the Metro DC area, she loved telling people she was from "the other Washington") and a direct descendent of 20th-century Russian nobility. Her grandmother was a childhood friend of the doomed Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the romantic yet tragic story of how Lydia escaped Communist Russia with the aid of her American husband will most certainly one day fuel one of Kim's novels. Another novel in the queue will involve her husband's ancestor, the 7th-century proto-Viking king of the Swedish colony in Russia.



For the time being, however, Kim has plenty of work to do in creating her projected 8-book Arthurian series, The Dragon's Dove Chronicles, and other novels under her new imprint, Pendragon Cove Press. She also writes romantic historical fiction under the pseudonym "Kimberly Iverson."
 
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS:
Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Headlee/e/B001KE2LK2
Blog – http://kimiversonheadlee.blogspot.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/KimIversonHeadlee
Twitter – https://twitter.com/KimHeadlee
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+KimHeadlee
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/kimheadlee/
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/845537.Kim_Headlee
LinkedIn – YouTube Channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/gyanhumara


Dawnflight (The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, volume 1)By Kim HeadleeHistorical/Fantasy/Action-Adventure/Spiritual/Romance

4 ½ stars and a Top Pick from Romantic Times (1stedition), November 1999Winner (tie), 1999 Blue Boa Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction, Historical categoryRomantic Times Nominee—Best Innovative Historical Romance of 1999Honorable Mention in SF Site’s Readers’ Choice Best SF & Fantasy Books of 1999Finalist, 2000 Golden Quill, Historical categoryFinalist, 2014-2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (2ndedition), Religious Fiction category

Synopsis:
Gyan is a Caledonian chieftainess by birth, a warrior and leader of warriors by training, and she is betrothed to Urien, a son of her clan’s deadliest enemy, by right of Arthur the Pendragon’s conquest of her people. For the sake of peace, Gyan is willing to sacrifice everything...perhaps even her very life, if her foreboding about Urien proves true.
Roman by his father, Brytoni by his mother, and denied hereditary rulership of his mother's clan because of his mixed blood, Arthur has followed his father's path to become Dux Britanniarum, the Pendragon: supreme commander of the northern Brytoni army. The Caledonians, Scots, Saxons, and Angles keep him too busy to dwell upon his loneliness...most of the time.
When Gyan and Arthur meet, each recognize within the other their soul’s mate. The treaty has preserved Gyan’s ancient right to marry any man, providing he is a Brytoni nobleman—but Arthur does not qualify. And the ambitious Urien, Arthur’s greatest political rival, shall not be so easily denied. If Gyan and Arthur cannot prevent Urien from plunging the Caledonians and Brytons back into war, their love will be doomed to remain unfulfilled forever.
But there is an even greater threat looming. The Laird of the Scots wants their land and will kill all who stand in his way. Gyan, Arthur, and Urien must unite to defeat this merciless enemy who threatens everyone they hold dear.
(Previously published by Sonnet Books, Simon & Schuster, 1999)
Dawnflight social media links:
Latest Book Trailer on YouTube: http://youtu.be/mHOESkv-R_cAudiobook Trailer (Prologue) on YouTube: http://youtu.be/IdSGhmdeqSoLatest video of blurbs and excerpts on YouTube: http://youtu.be/Yk2jNO0-vOA

Buy links:
Amazon Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BLNN6XSAmazon Print US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1939051134Amazon Audiobook US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E98ZQ8A Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id660038137Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Dawnflight-Audiobook/B00E8IAZIW/Barnes & Noble (both editions): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dawnflight-kim-d-headlee/1003548584Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4181539




Excerpt:
IT WAS A wild night, the eve of Samhainn. A biting gale roared down from the north, spitting snow. It tore through the trees like some mad thing, stripping away the last of the dead birch leaves and tangling in the pine boughs to make the trunks sway and groan. The snow and leaves whirled together in a frantic dance to the howls of the raging wind.But the ghostly music was not loud enough to compete with the screams of the woman in labor.Ogryvan mac Glynnis, Chieftain of Clan Argyll of Caledon, paced the circular stone room next to the family’s living quarters. The midwives had refused to let him be at his wife’s side during her ordeal. As her cries sundered the night, his anger and frustration grew. He quickened his pace in a futile attempt to dispel the mounting tension.The room’s only door creaked open. In raced a small child. Ogryvan scooped his three-year-old stepson into his arms. The boy’s eyes were wide with fear, and tear tracks stained his pale cheeks. He buried his head against Ogryvan’s burly chest.“Papa, where’s Mama? Wind noisy!”Despite his concern for his wife, her son made him smile. Peredur hadn’t reached two summers when Ogryvan had defeated the boy’s father in the dubh-lann for the right to become Hymar’s consort. Too young to remember his real father, Peredur had readily accepted Ogryvan, and in response, the chieftain had been pleased to treat the boy as a son of his flesh.He brushed away the tears on the lad’s cheeks. “The bairn is coming, Peredur.”“Bairn! Can I go see?”Ogryvan shook his head. “It’s women’s work, son. We men must wait until it’s done.”“When, Papa?”“Soon. I hope.”Another scream ripped the night, longer and more shrill than the rest. Peredur squirmed. “Lemme go!” He pummeled Ogryvan’s chest with impotent little fists. “They hurting her!”He squatted to set the child down but did not release his hold. “Your Mama will be all right.” He hoped.“My lord?” came a tentative half whisper from before him.Ogryvan glared at the door. A young servant stood just inside the room, eyes downcast, wringing her hands. He knew her: Cynda, who had lost her bairn and her husband three days earlier to the fever.He rose to his full height, holding Peredur. “Well?”“A girl, my lord. But there was too much blood. Chieftainess Hymar is—” The woman sucked in a breath. “My lord, she is dying.”Ogryvan thrust the boy into Cynda’s arms and strode down the hall.The birthing chamber was swarming with women, their frantic activity reminding him of slaughter day at the chicken pens. He riveted his gaze to the still figure on the bed. No one dared stop him as he waded through them to kneel at Hymar’s side.She was lying on her back, knees drawn up and apart, naked from her swollen waist down. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Agony etched its grim story across her lovely face. More than anything, Ogryvan wished he could wipe that pain away, and he despised his wretched powerlessness.Gently, he gathered her into his arms while one of the women replaced the crimson-stained bedclothes with fresh ones. He laid her down and pulled up the sleeping fur.Hymar’s lids fluttered open. “Ogryvan…” Her smile was as pale as her voice. “My dearest love…a girl-child.” Grimacing, she drew another gasping breath. “To carry on. After me. Now.”He picked up her hand and lightly ran his fingers along her forearm, over the pair of blue doves that was the mark of Clan Argyll. “Nonsense, Hymar,” he protested quietly. “You will get well.”“I see her, Ogryvan. The Hag. There…by the fire.”He saw only Cynda, cradling at her breast the wee pink creature that was his infant daughter. The baby fed greedily, obviously unaware of anything save her primal need. Peredur stood at Cynda’s feet, gazing up at his half sister in wide-eyed wonder.Ogryvan beckoned to Cynda. Slowly, to avoid disturbing the bairn, she approached the bed. Little Peredur marched straight to his mother’s side. As Ogryvan drew the boy into the shelter of his arms, Peredur wriggled an arm free to reach for Hymar’s hand. Turning pain-hazed eyes upon him, Hymar summoned a sad smile for her firstborn.“Here is your Hag, Hymar,” Ogryvan replied as Cynda bent down with the baby. “What shall we name her?”Hymar’s face melted into joy as she beheld her daughter. “She is…my rarest song…Gyanhumara.”She raised her hand to touch the child. Gyanhumara’s tiny fist closed around her finger. Hymar sighed, smiling, eyes transfixed upon the infant. Her chest did not rise again.All movement in the birthing chamber ceased. Silence descended. With a grief too heavy for words, Ogryvan bowed his head, pressing the limp hand of his beloved to his cheek. Peredur’s soft whimpers drowned in the sleeping fur that covered his mother’s chest.The storm battered the building’s stone walls, screeching its rage at being denied entry. Terrified by the noise, the new Chieftainess of Clan Argyll uttered a piercing wail.
Thanks for sharing, 
Anita

A Super Romance Bundle: Second Chances

 

USA Today Bestseller

 

by Dale Mayer, Donna Marie Rogers, Stacey Joy Netzel, Amy Gamet, Edie Ramer, Lois Winston, Pamela Fryer, Georgina Lee, Kate Kelly, Wendy Ely and Lyndi Lamont

 

Now available for only 99 cents (US) and featuring NY Times, USA Today, Amazon & B&N bestselling authors!

 

A lonesome cowboy, a heartbroken widower, a spurned bride-to-be, an unexpected pregnancy, intrigue, murder and more…485,000 words/nearly 2000 pages of heroes and heroines in need of second chances in eleven romantic stories.

 

Cover URLs:

3-D cover: http://lindalyndi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/RSB2-3D-Final.jpeg

 

Small Flat cover: http://lindalyndi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/RSB2-Flat-Cover.jpeg

 

Collage of book covers:  http://lindalyndi.com/second-chances-romance-super-bundle-ii/rsbiicollage/

 

Buy links in HTML:

Available now at All Romance eBooks, Amazon, BN/Nook, iBooks, Kobo and Smashwords.

 

Buy links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B00LH382SQ

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LH382SQ

Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00LH382SQ

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-romancesuperbundleiisecondchances-1562474-166.html

BN/ Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/romance-super-bundle-ii-amy-gamet/1119912653

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/romance-super-bundle-ii-second/id896143703?mt=11&uo=4

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/romance-super-bundle-ii-second-chances

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/454767

 

Add to your shelf at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22663871-romance-super-bundle-ii












Stories included in the set:

 

Second Chances —Dale Mayer

Go ahead. Take Charge of your life. Move forward…if you can…

Changing her future means letting go of her past. Karina heads to a weekend seminar to do try to do just that. But she soon realizes bigger issues are facing her…

 

And one of them is deadly…

 

The Perfect Blend —Donna Marie Rogers

Carrie is on the verge of bankruptcy when Matt walks in and offers her unwanted business advice. The rich playboy fled L.A. for the anonymity of small town life and quickly falls for the local coffee shop owner—who’s as infuriating as she is beautiful.

 

The Heart of the Matter —Stacey Joy Netzel

Heartbroken she can’t have kids, Allie keeps her distance when Rick moves home with an adorable 4 yr old son who’s as hard to resist as his father. Does she dare take a chance on an impossible dream, or will his desire for more kids devastate their future?

 

Meghan’s Wish —Amy Gamet

Meghan O’Connor returns to the family she ran away from as a teenager, afraid they won’t forgive her for leaving town with Liam Wheaton, the boy they tried so hard to keep her away from and the father of her baby. She never expected to find Liam living there, looking sexier than ever and mad as all hell.

 

Mo’s Heart (Miracle Interrupted, Book 5) —Edie Ramer

Mo Vincent did the right thing in New Jersey, and it cost him his son, his wife, his restaurant. Now he’s found a home in Miracle, Wisconsin. He should be content…but his heart wants what he can’t have…

 

Hooking Mr. Right —Lois Winston

A failure at relationships, Thea is secretly a bestselling romance guru. Luke is pursued by women using her books to snare him. When they meet, he thinks he’s finally found an honest woman, but Thea’s got more secrets than the CIA. Can a butt-ugly cat named Cupid play matchmaker?

 

The Lost Finder —Pamela Fryer

The first halfway decent guy to come along in eons…and he’s from another planet.

 

Private Investigator Brooke Weaver hopes she can slip into her Oregon hometown, find her client’s missing teenage daughter, and be on her way again before anyone notices. Not likely.

 

Cape of Secrets —Georgina Lee

Marika Host lands a dream summer job helping renowned archeologist Sir William write his memoirs, exposing years of secrets. His son Derrick adds romance to her summer. But when Sir William is murdered, Marika realizes some secrets are best kept buried.

 

Shattered —Kate Kelly

Failing to save his sister’s life, Jay Rawlings insists he be left alone to live the lonesome cowboy life. But when the woman he once loved returns to his ranch with a killer and the police in hot pursuit, Jay has to face the demons from his past.

 

In His Embrace —Wendy Ely

When life’s glow threatens to die, love guides the way.

 

Tori expected an ordinary Friday. It wasn’t. Ben’s hand rested on her hip a little longer during their goodbye. Then her tests came back abnormal. Scared and alone, she wishes for Ben’s hand to hold. Can he make it back to her in time?

 







How To Woo…A Reluctant Bride —Lyndi Lamont

A marriage of convenience, nothing more…until darkly handsome Evan Channing and demure Lydia Blatchford meet. The rules are simple for such an arrangement. No expectations, no illusions of anything more. But the rules are about to change…

 

Excerpt from How To Woo…A Reluctant Bride—Lyndi Lamont, steamy Victorian romance:

 

She licked her lips then plunged ahead. “I know how these things work. Arranged marriages, that is. I won’t expect fidelity from you.”

 

His shocked expression surprised her. “Is that what you think, Lydia?

 

That I’m marrying you with the intention of cheating on you?”

 

“Perhaps not now,” she said. “But in a few years… It’s not as if ours is a love match. I won’t cut up a fuss if you decide to take a mistress. As long as you are discreet.”

 

“How very… sophisticated of you,” he said, his tone dry enough to parch a desert.

 

She took a deep breath before continuing. “And once I’ve produced the requisite heir and spare, I assume I’ll be free to seek my pleasure elsewhere.”

 

The thunderous look on his face startled her and she stepped back.

 

“You will do no such thing,” he said fiercely, reaching for her. “Ours may not be a love match now, but I fully intend to see it turns into one.”

 

With that, he pulled her into his embrace, trapping her arms between them as his encircled her shoulders and waist.

 

Covering her mouth with his, he kissed her with a heady combination of passion and anger. Her resistance crumbled in the face of his onslaught. She clutched at his lapels and returned his kiss, even parting her lips when his tongue probed them. Overwhelmed by the sensations his lips provoked, she let her eyes drift shut as she clung to him.

 

When he let her go, he was still visibly upset. “There will be no more talk of infidelity. Have I made myself clear, Lydia?”

 

Author bio:

 

Lyndi Lamont is the racy alter ego of author Linda McLaughlin, who writes historical and Regency Romance. Since becoming Lyndi Lamont, she has discovered that writing sexy romance is a license to be naughty, at least between the pages of a book.

 

Find her online at:

Website http://lindalyndi.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/LyndiLamont

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/LyndiLamont

Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LyndiLamont/

Twitter https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

 

Thanks for hosting me. Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered in my monthly drawing for a $15 Starbucks e-gift card, so don’t be shy!


Thanks for sharing,


Tina

A #RockingSummerRomance by Lyn O'Farrell

Worth The Risk By Lyn O’Farrell (the writing team of Anne Farrell and Linda McLaughlin) Short Contemporary Romance





Children's librarian Amanda Lloyd values privacy above all else. Three years ago her wedding ended in disaster when her groom was arrested at the altar and the story of the 'Embezzler's Bride' appeared in the supermarket tabloids. The experience has left her determined to avoid being caught in the public eye again. Until she meets a sexy single dad with a scandalous past.





Ex-racer Mitch Delaney is a public figure whose life has been plastered across the tabloids more than once. But he believes that anything worth doing is worth a risk. After the death of his ex-wife, he moved to Southern California to take care of his son Josh. He doesn't need the complication of a woman in his life, especially since Josh's grandparents have filed suit for custody. But Josh is on the hunt for a new mother and he has his heart set on Miss Amanda, and Mitch can't fault his son's taste.



Against her better judgment, Amanda finds herself falling for both of the Delaney men. When she agrees to accompany Mitch to a high-profile movie premiere, they draw the attention of the tabloids. Overnight Amand'a private affair becomes very public, threatening her job and Mitch's custody suit.


 She's waited twenty-eight years for the right man. But will happiness come at too high a price?





(Previously published as Private Affair, Kensington Precious Gem #121)
Golden Heart Finalist, Short Contemporary category


Buy links HTML: Amazon Kindle,
Apple iBooks,
BN/Nook,
Kobo, and
Smashwords


Excerpt:
His head was nestled in her lap. Amanda gently smoothed back the hair that had tumbled into his eyes. He sighed contentedly and gazed at her with soulful blue eyes.

"You really are a love," she murmured. "I can't imagine why I was ever nervous around you."

The living room was quiet now, except for the soft crackling of the fire. Shadows played on the walls as the flames danced in the fireplace. Dinner was over, the kitchen cleaned up, and Josh was upstairs asleep. It was the first really relaxing moment Amanda had had all day.

"Is that mutt bothering you?" Mitch asked as he stepped into the room.

"No, we've been getting acquainted." She smiled and scratched Albert behind the ears. He looked up at her adoringly. Then, as if aware that three was a crowd, he sauntered over to the fireplace and flopped down with a large sigh.

"Never thought I'd actually be jealous of a dog," Mitch muttered, sitting down on the couch next to her.

Amanda laughed. "But he's the sweetest thing."

Mitch murmured his agreement, then said, "You're sweet, too."

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"For tutoring Josh, I mean," he said quickly.

"There's nothing sweet about that. I expect to be paid the going rate for my efforts."

"You will be," he assured her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "In fact, there may even be a bonus in it." He leaned closer, a teasing gleam in his eyes.

"What kind of a bonus did you have in mind?" Amanda knew she shouldn't have asked when his look changed to one of desire.

Pulling her closer, he rubbed his thumb along her lower lip and her lips parted instinctively. She looked deeply into his eyes and saw a new tenderness she hadn't seen before. Her body ached in anticipation as he continued caressing her mouth and gazing at her from hooded eyes that promised a world of pleasure in their blue depths.


About the Author




 

Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of books and history, so it's only natural she prefers writing historical romance. She loves transporting her readers into the past where her characters learn that, in the journey of life, love is the sweetest reward. Linda also writes steamy to erotic romance under the name Lyndi Lamont, and is one half of the writing team of Lyn O'Farrell.

 

You can find her online at http://lindalyndi.com

Blog: http://lindalyndi.com/reading-room-blog/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaMcLaughlinAuthor

Twitter: @Lyndi Lamont https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

Thanks Linda for sharing,


Tina

Hot Excerpt by Anita Philmar for the #RockingSummerRomance

Excerpt from Banished Scoundrel one of the stories in the Banished series









“Have you dropped off your stipend for the game

tomorrow?” She laid her finely, manicured hand on

his arm. The dainty touch sent sparks of awareness

through him, and his cock swelled. “The governor

likes to put all the money in his strongbox for

safekeeping before the party begins.”



Jack reined in his desire and reminded himself

of his primary objective—to transport the lady back

to Ardenia.



However, he liked Sloan’s clever rule. If a man

didn’t contribute the required gold coins to the game,

the governor shouldn’t waste resources entertaining

him. “No, I can’t say that I have. I arrived just a few

moments ago..”



“Then let me show you to the study, and I’ll

fetch you a drink.” She touched his arm again and

stepped into the foyer.



He bowed his head slightly and played the

unfamiliar part of a refined gentleman. “And you

are?”



She fluttered her hand over her face and

brushed a wisp of light brown hair from her brow.

“The governor calls me Kitty. It’d probably be best if

you did, too.”



“What an alluring name? It makes me think of a

cat with its lips covered by a luscious coat of cream.”

Jack stared at Kitty’s mouth, and his tongue tingled

at the idea of tasting her rich, flavorful lust.



She giggled and wove her hand through the

crook in his arm. The soft swell of her breast

bumped against his arm. “Oh, you’re naughty, but I

love the alluring image.”



“Then, I hope you’ll let me have a taste later.”

He didn’t crowd her but allowed her to step back.

She led him across the entranceway to a door on the

other side.



Remember she’s a princess.



Blurb: Known scoundrel Jack Avery must earn the queen's forgiveness by rescuing her missing daughter from the human world. His sources reveal the Princess Noelani is being held by a powerful man who likes a good game of chance. So with twenty borrowed pieces of gold Jack enters the high-stakes game. Only the lady he encounters is no princess. This pretty Kitty makes him want to hear her purr.



Under a memory spell, Kitty recalls nothing before the governor bought her from her parents and offered her protection from those he claims would kill her kind. So what if, in order to control her, he forces Kitty to morph then deprives her of sexual release after transformation. But the crafty card player she is assigned to “entertain” reveals himself as a kindred spirit—a shape shifter—and unravels the lie she’s been forced to live.



Together Jack and Kitty risk it all, for the stakes are high and the prize is worth it...freedom, forgiveness, love.


Read more about the other books in the Banished at http://www.anitaphilmar.com/banishedbookpg.html


Or Purchase at



 Find at:
Amazon | B&N | Kobo |
All Romance


Thanks for sharing Anita,


Tina


Tina

The Tarthian Empire Companion by @Kayelleallen

I'm getting ready to release a new book, The Tarthian Empire Companion. This is a non-fiction illustrated book that features details from my personal "story bible" and notes on creating the universe for my books. It has the 10k+ years of future history I wrote, details about the Sempervians (my immortals) not shown in any book, and some history on the names of characters. Every named character in any book is listed, plus the book in which they are mentioned. Many other details will be there too.
If you'd like a preview copy of the Tarthian Tour part of the book (also illustrated), let me know. I have it in pdf format only. It's 23 pages. To grab your copy, download it here. http://is.gd/seeTarthCity
One other goodie you might like to have -- Secret Societies. It's a one page peek at the 4 different types of immortals in my universe and their supporters. http://is.gd/secretsocieties A scorecard of who's who. I hope you enjoy these.
The Companion is due out mid to late August. It will be bundled into the Tales of the Chosen boxed set as a free fourth book, and also made available as a single download.
Kayelle Allen
Author of The Tarthian Empire Companion -- 10k years of future history and more
http://kayelleallen.com/exc-companion.html


Thanks Kayelle for sharing,


Tina

#RockingSummerRomance by Lisa Carlisle - Better Than Cake

A short erotic romance for only  99 cents! Perfect for a beach or summer read.
Buy Now at:AmazonB&NKoboARE

Excerpt
Who gets ditched at a wedding? Stephanie paused and took a deep breath before walking into her friend’s reception. Something like this could only happen to her. Ditched wasn’t a strong enough description. “Maybe we should try separating.” Johnny’s words echoed in her mind, lashing her psyche raw with repetition. Separating! She closed her eyes. Unthinkable.It’s okay. You can do this. Stick it out for a couple of hours and then you can deal with the mess.How would she explain her husband’s sudden absence? He was at the ceremony, but wouldn’t be at the reception. What would be a reasonable explanation? They were spending the weekend here in Cape Cod so it would be tough to feign a work or family excuse.Illness. Yes, something about seafood. That would be plausible at a seaside resort. Food poisoning. She had an excuse—but it didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. Beyond the Sea wafted out from the ballroom, appropriate for this Cape Cod seaside resort. She glanced up at the imposing exterior of the multi-level hotel. Her hand trembled so she clutched her silver purse tighter. She raised her chin to steel herself and entered the hotel.
Stephanie scanned the place settings to find hers. Mr. and Mrs. John Silvio. Table nineteen. She dropped her purse to her side, but her fingers still clenched it. The last place she wanted to be after a killer argument with her husband was a wedding. She forced herself to enter the reception area, squeezing through all those decked in suits and evening gowns. Searching the table numbers for nineteen, she followed them to the back of the room. She guessed she’d be furthest from the head table, since she was neither family nor close friend, but an old college roommate of the bride. She made her way to the back of the room, braved a smile, and introduced herself to the couples already seated. “Hi. I’m Stephanie.”“Elaine,” a heavyset woman with puffy blond hair said. “You’re alone?”Great. Just fantastic. Starting right with the topic she wanted to avoid. “Yes. My husband couldn’t make it tonight. Something he ate earlier,” she babbled. “Probably the shellfish.” She shrugged.The others introduced themselves as she sat down and peppered her with questions about where they bought the seafood. A few shared their stories of food poisoning. It was going to be a long night. Once the attention was off her, she replayed the fight for what had to be the fortieth time since it happened. After a ripple of snide comments evolved into a tsunami of a fight, she stormed away from Johnny and ended up talking to herself like a crazy person as she pounded through the surf. “Separating? Why does he take a small argument and blow it up into something like this? How could he do this to me at my friend’s wedding? What the fuck!”A couple of miles later, she had calmed down. It wasn’t all his doing. She was the one who’d dragged them here when he had other plans. Her fury decreased as the sun sank lower in the sky, replaced by a cloak of sadness. She didn’t want to split up.Her eyes began to water. How the heck would she make it through the night without breaking down? Her marriage could be over. How long could she sport a brave face before it dropped?“Excuse me,” she said and hurried into the ladies room. She barely made it through the door before her eyes pooled with tears. She grabbed tissues and blotted them, fixing her smudged makeup the best she could.“You can do this,” she told her reflection in the mirror. As much as she dreaded being at a wedding while her own marriage hung in jeopardy, she had to put her feelings aside for the sake of Caryn. She’d only get married once. Hopefully.
* * * * *
Johnny caught glimpses of the ocean from the cab and couldn’t help but brood on what he had said to Stephanie down the beach this afternoon. A cold black cloak had surrounded him since, fastened with shackles of regret. The same question echoed in his head ever since. Why? Why had he freaked out the way he had? Said the things he had? The day had started out great. They woke up at the bed and breakfast and had the morning free before the ceremony. They’d rented bikes on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and had ridden past sand dunes and shacks, cranberry bogs and duck-filled ponds, villages and pine forests, and even a couple of lighthouses. The scenery was one thing, his beautiful wife riding alongside him something else. He could barely keep his eyes off her lithe body and on the trail. When they’d stopped to buy sandwiches from one of the beachside shacks and had a picnic lunch on the beach, things were still good. It wasn’t until after the seaside wedding ceremony this afternoon that he’d opened his mouth and all kinds of stupid fell out. And for what? Something trivial, not something to throw away a marriage over. Their argument had stirred weeks before. He resented her for dragging him to a wedding when he’d already had plans for his monthly camping trip with his buddies, He had stormed about it for days, but downright exploded on the beach earlier. Telling her she was too controlling, she shouldn’t speak for him and make him cancel his plans to do something she wanted. How his outdoor trips were how he decompressed from work and if she didn’t get it by now, she didn’t get him. She’d countered, saying he used the same justification for his softball games, and sometimes he had to suck it up and act like an adult. Snide comments had escalated into verbal jabs. Past grievances were drudged up as their defenses rose. Accusations flew, growing uglier, and digging up past perceived injustices, until finally, he had suggested a trial separation. He still wasn’t sure why he’d said it. A heat of the moment incident, blurting out something to end the fight with something he didn’t even mean. Her shocked expression had turned to one of hurt as she blinked back tears. Then she’d lashed back at him. “If you’re so shallow and selfish that you consider a weekend away from your buddies such brutality, then yeah, maybe we should.” When she had stormed away from him across the beach, he had turned away thinking to hell with her and pounded through the sand in the opposite direction. It wasn’t until he had turned back several minutes later to see she was gone that he realized he might have made the biggest mistake of his life.
She is thrilled to be a multi-published author writing since she’s wanted to write since the sixth grade. Her travels and many jobs have provided her with inspiration for novels, such as serving in the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan, backpacking alone around Europe, or working as a waitress in Paris. Her love of books inspired her to own a small independent book store for a couple of years.
Lisa lives in New England with her husband and their children. She spends her days writing for corporate clients and her evenings writing stories and novels.
Visit her website for more on books, trailers, playlists, and more: Lisacarlislebooks.com
Sign up for her newsletter to hear about new releases, specials, and freebies:www.lisacarlislebooks.com/subscribe/
Lisa loves to connect with readers. You can find her on:
FacebookTwitterPinterestGoodreads
Amazon page


Thanks Lisa for sharing,
Tina

#RockingSummerRomance by @authortinagayle - Youthful Temptations

 
Single again, Linda Clayton is ready to let loose and have some fun. Jilted at a party, she met a younger man, Vaughn Reagan. He has an active imagination and allures her into his life by tempting her with seductive games.  Vaughn is thrilled to find a woman who doesn’t want children. He offers Linda a job so he can spend his days with her. Now, if he could only convince her to forget their age difference and enjoy the nights in his arms.

Excerpt:

“But did you meet anyone?” His father drilled the question at him like a staff sergeant. Ex-military, his voice struck the right chord to demand answers.

“Yes, but I’m . . .” he started, but his father interrupted.

“Then tell us all about her.”

“No.” Vaughn sprang from the couch and marched to the fireplace. Anger rumbled in his stomach, and a sour taste hit the back of his throat. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the blue flame rising from the blackened wood.

Every time he met someone new, his father pushed and prodded until he wormed every detail about his relationship out into the open. To shake his dad off his back, he usually complied. But not this time. His attraction to Linda was special.

Why? The question raced through his head.

He shook his head and refused the temptation to use their encounter as a temporary diversion to soothe his father’s doubts about his sexuality.

“And why not? Is she married or something?” his dad inquired.

Vaughn clenched his hands into fists. His dad hated being in the dark about any subject related to his children.

“Wait, Big John, Vaughn will tell us when he’s ready.” His mother’s voice offered a token of peace in a discussion that could quickly erupt.

“Well, I’m ready now. So spill the beans, boy. I want to know who this girl is.”

Vaughn whipped around to glare at his father. The concern marking his father’s brow eased, and a grin spread across his face. A strong emotion punched Vaughn in the chest. His dad might be a pain in the ass, but he’d been there in every major event in Vaughn’s life. At the hospital, while he’d been fighting his bout with cancer, his dad pestered all the doctors with his demands for a cure. Now, the same determination called for Vaughn to find a wife and settle.

A prior conversation sparked in Vaughn’s memory. “Are you sure it’s a woman?”

“What?” his mom squealed.

His father shook his head. “Good try, but we’ve already had that talk.”

“When did you . . .” His mother stood and tugged her hand free of her husband’s. “I can’t believe you’d ask him such a thing.”

Vaughn recognized the trouble he’d laid at his father’s door. His mom could impale a man with her wrath. “It was a while ago, Mom.”

“And I had to ask.” His dad hammered a few more nails in his coffin.

“Why?” Her hands flew in the air and finally landed on her hips. The high-pitched tone of her voice echoed off the high ceiling. “I can’t believe you, Big John. The boy has a right to a private life. But no, you have to meddle where you don’t belong.”

“Come on, April. He might be a tough guy, but he’s also my son. I want to know what’s happening in his life.”

“No, you don’t. You’re trying to run his life.”

“But he should settle down and find a good woman like I have.” He leaned forward and grabbed his wife’s wrist. “It’ll give him a passion for living.”

“You don’t know that. Not everyone is guaranteed happiness simply because they’re married.” She tugged on her hand and took a few steps backwards.

His dad grinned, rose quickly, and caught her in a bear hug. “They would be if they married a woman as lovely as you.”

“John,” his mom yelped, her feet dangling in the air, before his dad dove for a kiss.

Vaughn laughed. His father could always soothe his mom’s ruffled feathers. He wondered if he’d ever find the special bond they shared with someone. A strand of auburn hair on his sleeve caught his attention, and a picture of Linda flashed through his head.

Could she be the one?

His father glanced at him and released his tight hold on his mom. “So, son, why don’t you tell your busybody mother about your new girlfriend?”







Now on Sale find ebook at: www.smashwords.com www.barnesandnoble.com www.kobobooks.comitunes.apple.com At Amazon
Review


Youthful Temptations is about a couple finding love and overcoming stereotypes. We see that we all have baggage, it’s a part of us, and those that love us don’t mind the load we carry. Awesome story, I really enjoyed Youthful Temptations.

Reviewed by Raine at Joyfully Reviewed.







Hope you enjoy,


Tina Gayle