Tonya Renee Callihan's Blog, page 3

Rogue's Hostage by Linda McLaughlin

Rogue's
Hostage





By
Linda McLaughlin





Historical
Romance





 





4 ½ stars and a Top Pick from Romantic Times!





Romantic
Times Nominee—Best Small Press Romance of 2003!





2nd
Place - Lorie Awards - Best Historical Romance!





 





His hostage... 





 





In 1758 the Pennsylvania frontier is wild, primitive and
dangerous, where safety often lies at the end of a gun. Mara Dupré's life
crumbles when a French and Indian war party attacks her cabin, kills her
husband, and takes her captive. Marching through the wilderness strengthens her
resolve to flee, but she doesn't count on her captor teaching her the meaning
of courage and the tempting call of desire.





 





Her destiny...





 





French lieutenant Jacques Corbeau's desire for his captive
threatens what little honor he has left. 
But when Mara desperately offers herself to him in exchange for her
freedom, he finds the strength to refuse and reclaims his lost self-respect. As
the shadows of his past catch up to him, Jacques realizes that Mara, despite
the odds, is the one true key to reclaiming his soul and banishing his past
misdeeds forever.





 





(Previously
published by Amber Quill Press)





 





Buy
links:





Amazon:
http://amzn.com/B00BJO26OY





B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1005663623






Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/291719




Excerpt from Rogue’s Hostage:





Holding the towel to his shoulder, he walked over and stood by the bed to
check on the woman, who was still in a faint. Despite her pallor, he noted that
her skin was fine, her nose straight and thin. She had a lower lip just full
enough to entice a man to taste it, and a stubborn chin that dared him to try.
Under different circumstances…





She was perhaps not as lovely as he’d thought when he first saw her standing
in the clearing—her hair, the color of corn silk, shining in the sunlight.
Still, she was tall and fair, with slender curves and shapely ankles visible
beneath the short skirts of a farm wife.





And now she was a widow. He stared down at the woman and silently vowed to
see that no more innocents died today.





The woman gave a soft moan and opened her eyes. When she spotted him, she
shrank back against the wall, arms folded defensively across her breast. His
gut tightened. He didn’t enjoy terrifying women, but fear should make her
easier to control. She had already proven unpredictable.





Terror, stark and vivid, glittered in her eyes. "Who are you?"





"My name is Jacques Corbeau, lieutenant in the army of France. And you
are my captive."






* * *




Mara inhaled sharply, panic building inside her. This couldn’t be real. It
was all a bad dream. She would wake up soon and tell Emile about it, and they
would laugh. And laugh and laugh and…. She swallowed the hysteria engulfing
her.





"Madame, are you listening to me?"





The Frenchman’s voice, sharp and insistent, demanded her attention.
"There is not much time. My companions are not patient men. We must leave
soon, but first I want you to bind my shoulder. Where do you keep
bandages?"





Her mouth and throat were dry when she swallowed, but she choked out an
answer. "The trunk. Under the bed."





He squatted beside the bed, pulled out the trunk and rummaged through it.
She watched his every move, unable to take her eyes off him, alarmed by the
physical threat he represented.





He was a tall man who dominated the cabin as Emile never had, and his state
of undress revealed nearly every inch of his lean and powerful form. Not only
was he bare to the waist, but his breechclout and leggings failed to completely
cover his thighs and buttocks. He had a wide-shouldered, rangy body and long,
sinewy legs. He looked strong, virile, and infinitely dangerous.





A cold knot formed in Mara’s stomach. The French had killed her father and
now her husband. What would they do to her?





She wrapped her arms around her waist. Her grandfather would say whatever
happened was God’s will, but she rejected that idea. What kind of God allowed
such awful things to happen?





Fearfully, she watched as the Frenchman shoved the trunk back under the bed
and stood. He held out the bandages, and she froze. She couldn’t touch him, she
just couldn’t.





The man’s heavy black brows drew together in a fierce frown, but his voice
was without emotion. "Madame, I am all that stands between you and the men
who killed your husband. I can be persuaded to act as your protector. It is to
your advantage to do what I command."





He dropped the bandages beside her on the bed, then reached out to touch her
hair. "Must I remind you, in my companion’s eyes, scalps are more valuable
than live captives?"





Horror sliced through her fear. "Emile!" She shot off the bed and
bolted for the door. The Frenchman caught her around the waist before she could
reach it.





"It is too late, madame," he said in a hushed voice. "It is
done."





"No," she moaned, as she fought to banish the image of a bloody
scalp, raw flesh.





The Frenchman turned her toward him, holding her by the shoulders, and spoke
in an insistent voice. "Listen to me and be sensible. You must be strong
now. We have a long journey ahead of us."





Dazed, she stared at him. "A journey? To where?"





"Fort Duquesne."





Mara gasped. The dreaded enemy stronghold deep in the wilderness. She
struggled to get free, clawing at his powerful arms.





He gripped her tighter, grimacing as he did. "Stop it! What chance do
you think you have against three men? Do as I say and you will live. Refuse
and…" He let the implication hang in the air between them.





Live. Yes, that was what she must do. She must bide her time and stay
alive. Her brother would find her and exact revenge. But for now, she was on
her own.





She straightened her spine and stared into the Frenchman’s eyes. "How
do I know I can trust you, monsieur?"





He met her gaze, but a shadow darkened his eyes. "You have my word of
honor."





Bitterness filled her. "The word of a Frenchman? What is that
worth?"





"For the moment, madame, your life."






My
thanks to Tonya for hosting me today. Hope you are enjoying the Egg-cerpt
Exchange.





 





Linda






 





Linda McLaughlin grew up with a love of history fostered by
her paternal grandmother and an incurable case of wanderlust inherited from her
father. She has traveled extensively within the United States and has visited
Mexico, Canada, & Australia. A lifelong dream came true with a trip to
England where she was able to combine sightseeing and theater with research for
her novels. A native of Pittsburgh, she now lives in Southern California with
her husband.





 





Her first book was Worth The Risk by Lyn O'Farrell.
Now Linda writes historical and Regency romance. She loves transporting her
readers into the past where her characters learn that, in the journey of life,
love is the sweetest reward.





 





She also writes sexy to erotic romance under the name Lyndi
Lamont.





 





Website:
http://www.lindamclaughlin.com/





Blog:
http://flightsafancy.blogspot.com/





Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont





 

Summer's Growth by Tina Gayle

Tina Gayle grew up a dreamer
and loved to escape into the world of books.



After years of working in the business world doing a variety of jobs, she
decided to try her hand at writing and hope to incorporate the joy of being a
mother into her books.








Currently working on a series about four executive wives, she is excited about
combining elements of women fiction with the passion of romance. The first two
books, “Revive” and “Birth” have been released and the last two are coming out
in 2013.



Married twenty-five years, she and her husband love to travel and play
golf.  She can’t wait for Mike to retire
so they can do more of both.





Read the first chapter of any
of her books by visiting her website.





 





Summer’s Growth (first book in the Family Tree Series)





 

Forced by the
family spirits to get a life, Mattie Winston has to train her replacement Amber
Harrison to be in charge of all the workings of the Winston estate. Mattie and
Amber are both caught by surprise when strange accidents start happening which
threaten their lives and an unknown ghost makes an appearance.





 





Struggling to
find a new mission in life, Mattie faces the old wounds of rejection when
Quincy Miller reenters her life. Can she give him another chance or will this
just lead to more heartache?





 





BUY

 





Home - www.tinagayle.net




Blog - www.tinagayle.blogspot.com 





Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle





Goodread - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle





Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle





Google + - https://plus.google.com





Linkin - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759






 

Love and Luck; Luck and Love

 



I was born and raised in the United States. But I have a
long line of relatives born and raised in Ireland. So this time of year is my
favorite. St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays! I love to celebrate
it and not by drinking. I love the food, the crafts, learning more about
Ireland and my heritage in itself.



What does luck have to do with love? If you ask an Irishman
he will tell you everything! If it weren’t for luck there would be nothing!



In my upcoming release, Claimed,
luck had everything to do with Lysandra and Michael’s love. It was by luck
Lysandra was at a club with her friends, the same club Michael was visiting, on
the same night at the same time. Now that’s luck.



Want even more luck for the story. Lysandra’s friends told
her she needed to get out and date more, she was too focused on work. They
dared her to find a hot guy and ask for his number. She took them up on her
dare and after searching the club she found Michael and there story started
from there.



Was it luck that won me a publishing contract with MuseItUp
Publishing? I have to say, yes a little, luck played in that I joined Marketing
For Romance Writers just in time for a huge pitch event and Lea at Muse grabbed
my baby up to publish!



So because of that and the fact I believe in the phrase ‘Luck
of the Irish’ I am revealing my cover here, today for this blog hop, of my
upcoming release, Claimed, with
MuseItUp Publishing. Be sure to check back for an official release date soon!

 



 



 



To hold you over check out my release from Secret Cravings
Publishing, Night Promises, the first
in my Night Pleasures series.





 


Kelly O’Keefe first met a vampire when she was twelve. Now the pair are best
friends and have opened Night Pleasures, an underground club that caters to
vampires and their needs. When Kelly’s sister is murdered, she finds herself
working with Connor, a vampire she's been in love with for months. Unable to
trust men, let alone a vampire, can she let him help her solve her sister’s
murder?



Connor has been watching after Kelly for seven months with the help of his
sire and best friend Micah. Connor has kept himself at a distance even though
he knows they are life mates. He's afraid of losing control and turning Kelly
against her will. When he learns Kelly plans on investigating her sister’s
death, he steps in and allows himself to get close to her.



But how close is too close?



Secret Cravings Publishing   |   Amazon   |  Barnes & Nobel




 
Giveaway time! Are you feeling lucky?



My contest is simple, go to my Facebook page and like it. Leave a comment here letting me know you liked my page. On the 19th I will draw a name. The winner can choose either of my releases. You will get Night Promises that day or you can wait until Claimed is through edits for your copy.



Either way leave a comment stating you liked my Facebook page and/or something you love about St. Patrick's Day, if you have been lucky this year, etc. Your comment also enters you into the big drawing which is:



1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card


 

2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

 

 

There are over 300 blogs participating in this hop. The below link will take you to the main page of all the blogs hopping. You have three days to visit as many blogs as you can and comment for your chance to win tons of prizes and the ultimate prizes above! 

 

Is the luck on your side??

 

Find the other hoppers here !  



 

New Year, New Experiences with Anna Bayes

Under His Wings, a M/M/F menage love story by Anna Bayes

 



 





 





Blurb:





Bonnie thought Matt was everything she ever wanted: boyishly
charming, understanding and exciting. Then she realized that he had another
lover: Sean, an artistic, intensely jealous and handsome man. She tries, and
fails to accept herself as the barely tolerated female lover. On New Year's
Eve, she demands a meeting amongst the three. The confrontation sparks
dangerous rage, and something else with an entirely different heat level:
steamy desire. Can she bring about a reconciliation satisfactory to everyone
involved as she surrenders to her passion?





 





Buy link:





http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.ph...





 





Excerpt:





As I stood before my reflection in the mirror this morning,
I tried to rehearse my request to Matt. I repeated it many times, looking into
my eyes: the round, dark brown pupils returning my gaze unconvincingly. I shook
my hair loose, and reasoned with myself again. If all Matt's talk about my
importance is only empty words to keep me, then he is a lying bastard, and I am
better off without him. I tried to say it aloud with conviction, but my voice
betrayed me; I sounded like a frightened, disappointed little girl. I know
logically that I can live without him, but loving him has become such an
integral, necessary part of my life; I am not sure I could stop, even if we
parted. 





 





5 pm. Matt took my hand as I closed my shop early for the
day, kissed it and buried it in the large pocket in his jacket. I love how my
hand fits snugly in his; it is as if all my body parts have been tailor-made to
suit him, and melt into him. I concentrated on staring at the toes of my boots,
mustering up my courage, then I looked squarely into his eyes, and said,
"I want Sean to meet me." I had initially practiced declaring in a
crescendo, "I refuse to be hidden like an undignified whore. I am not a filler
between Sean and other things in your life. I need him to acknowledge me as a
person. I demand his respect," but this part of the speech became stuck in
my throat. Matt looked at me, dumbfounded, until I almost started to believe
that I had delivered my full speech, after all. Then he clenched his teeth,
tightened his grip on my hand, and said, "Yes, you deserve better than
this."





 





The taxi ride to his apartment was a blur. The original plan
for tonight, it being New Year's Eve, had been that Matt would spend the early
evening with me, then return home to Sean for dinner and to count down to 2013
over sizzling sex. Sean is not there when we arrive at the apartment, and we
sit on the sofa to wait. Matt looks frighteningly dashing: his eyes blazing, his
whole body tense, clearly deep in thought, preparing for something. He looks up
as the sound of keys in the lock announces Sean's return. "Hey
you..." Sean's lilting voice stops in its tracks as he opens the door
wider and sees me seated next to his lover.





 





Find Anna Bayes at these places:





Her blog ( http://annabayes.wordpress.com )





Her Amazon author page ( http://www.amazon.com/author/annabayes )





Her Goodreads author page ( http://www.goodreads.com/annabayes )





Her Manic Readers author page ( http://www.manicreaders.com/annabayes )

Lucky In Love Blog Hop

Lucky in Love? Well, are you? It's a time of luck and wealth...or not. With each romance we find ourselves in a new world of love and memories. Are these just by chance? Is it luck? Welcome to your second annual Lucky in Love Blog Hop where we want to hear about your love, your romance, and how much you love St. Patrick's Day!!! Are you wearing green? Ready to get pinched...or wait...do you like that?







Almost 300 bloggers have giveaways and posts about those men we love!






But that's not all....



We have TWO grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!






Now what are those prizes?







1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card



2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!





Be sure to watch for my post March 15! You will want to comment on that post and then follow the link to the main blog hop site to comment on other blogs, the more comments the higher chance you have to win!!



Happy Reading,

Tonya

Things You May Not Know About Ireland

It's an offense to be drunk in public!



An Irishman founded the Argentinean Navy



Only 2 members of U2 were born in Ireland



Ireland has the fourth largest stadium in Europe



A Hospital in Belfast Is a World Leader in Kneecap Reconstruction

My Interview With The Vampire Queen

Recently I was lucky enough to have an interview with The Vampire Queen herself! Here is what she had to say about writing and her every day life. Please welcome the one, the only, Jodie Pierce to my blog.





TC:
As a writer what is your typical day like?



JP: I sleep late, wake up and get some
lunch/dinner with hubby, then sit in my recliner and type while he watches
sports shows. During the football off season, we alternate nights where I write
one night and watch our reality TV other nights.





TC: What is one goal you want to accomplish this year as a writer?



JP: Get my charity
anthology published and promoted. Also, get at least one more story finished
and published. I have so many I’m working on that it should be easy to get at
least one done. Should be…






 TC: What is one thing you strive to accomplish as a writer, whether it’s in ten years
or twenty?

JP: I, like most Authors, wish to be a best-selling Author. One day,
even down the line is okay with me. I write vampire stories and just pray that
the vampire craze never ends. Only time will tell.







What
can readers expect in the future from you? I’m working on a charity vampire
anthology with various Authors. It will be out on Halloween 2013 and all proceeds
will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Let me know if you know
anyone that would like to participate.



TC: 
I’m unfamiliar with your work, tell me why I should read one of your books.

JP: My
vampire protagonist is a female. Most vampire stories feature a strong, sexy
male vampire with a helpless female human. My stories feature a strong female
vampire and then a mish mash of humans/other vampires. Usually the boundries of
sexuality are pushed too.





TC: What’s your comfort food and/or drink?

JP: I drink a lot of water but it has to be
flavored with ‘Mio’. A year ago I started drinking water (with my husbands
encouragement) and I lost 100 pounds. I didn’t exercise or change my eating
habits but I found I was eating less and less and the weight just came off. I
recommend it to everyone.






TC: Are you a night owl or an early bird?

JP: I’m a sleep owl. I usually sleep more
than I’m awake. I have some health issues that interrupt my sleep so when I can
get it, I take it.





TC:  Do
you have an author you admire?

JP: If so, who and why? My favorite Author is Anne
Rice. She is the reason I write about vampires. Before that, I wrote boring
romance stories, looking for more. I read “The Vampire Lestat” and found my
calling. I can only hope to reach her status one day. She’s an inspiration.



TC:Your story is perfect in your head. You know your characters better than you
know yourself…or so you think. If your story takes a drastic turn do you go
with the flow or try to keep your characters and plot on course? 

JP: I write as
things come to me. There is very little plotting and no organizing. I write as
things come to me. Many times, I dream stories or hubby comes up with a general
idea and I take it from there. My latest, was a crazy dream I had. I came out
and wrote it down in a paragraph style and it was so vivid it’s stuck with me.
I’ve been working on it, developing it more as I go.

TC: What inspires you as a writer?

JP: My hubby, dreams, my crazy brain.

 

TC: Have you traveled the world? What was your favorite place?

JP: I’ve been to a few
places: Live in Ohio, went to Pennsylvania, W.Va, SC, FL. Nevada but my
favorite place was when I lived in Brasil in 1991 for 6 months. I was an
exchange student there and would have been there longer had I not broke my
foot. I missed Carnivale but I promise I will get back one day and see it. You
will find many hints of Brasil in my stories so keep an eye out for them.



TC: What is your dream vacation?

JP: Ireland and Scotland. I would love to go with
hubby and visit all those beautiful castles and walk among the Kings and Queens
that walked those halls. My second dream vacation would be Transylvania…gotta
follow the vampire myths and Dracula.



 



TC: Do
you have any advice or comments about upcoming authors?

JP: Figure out your dream
and goals, then go for them. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. If
you fail, keep trying if it’s your dream. I didn’t get traditionally published
for a very long time. I then was unhappy and found Indie publishing and found
my happy spot. If you can dream it, it’s out there waiting for you.



TC: As an author, what has been the greatest challenge for you?

JP: Getting published.
I tried to get traditionally published first for I never knew you could publish
yourself. Once I got published, I was unhappy and doing all my own marketing so
I learned about self-publishing and it was all I’d been looking for. Now I’m
happy with where I’m at.



TC: What type of genre do you write? Read?

JP: I write Paranormal, Paranormal Romance,
Paranormal Erotica, Erotica and attempted a YA Romance. I read mostly
Paranormal, a little fantasy, a little romance and that’s about it.

TC: Did
you have a moment when you realized your born to be a writer?

JP: In middle school,
I had a short story published in a local magazine and my teachers took note of
me. When I got to high school, English was easy for me so I was moved into the
Advanced classes. My teacher found that I could write well and encouraged me to
write short stories. She took me under her wing, met with me after school and
critiqued my writing and helped me make it better. I’ll never forget her for
that.

 


TC: Do you have a favorite character, one you have written or from another author?

JP: My
favorite character is my Vampire Queen. She was so much fun to write, develop
and finish in my final story. I’ve even gone so far as to think about her as a
movie character and I think Charlize Theron would make the best Vampire Queen!



 



TC: Are names in yoUr novel important? Why or why not?

JP: Yes, very important. I
usually pick a first letter for a name and then consult my baby book/websites.
I find a name that matches the personality of my character and then use that
name.





TC:
Do you have any hobbies?

JP: I like to read, watch movies, listen to music, go to
dinner different places with hubby, visit with my parents, burn
candles/incense, meditate, perform Reiki, etc.






TC: What does your family and friends think about your writing?

JP: My hubby is my
biggest supporter. My parents are not very supportive however. Since I’m not
making millions as a best-selling Author, they don’t consider me a ‘real’
Author. Also, since they don’t like to read vampire stories, they’ve never read
any of my books. It’s disappointing really as I’m very close to them and it
hurts sometimes.







Thanks so much Jodie for stopping by and giving us an insight into your life as a person and as a writer!

 



 

QUICK 5

Tell us a little about your newest release: I just finished
the final book in my Vampire Queen trilogy, Demise of the Vampire Queen. It
ties up books 1 and 2 and gives a sort of conclusion to the result of the
Vampire Queen herself. A few new characters are introduced but are relevant to
the story. Currently, I’m working on managing a charity anthology with various
authors. The proceeds will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.





What inspired this story: As for The Vampire Queen, books 1
and 2 were originally written as one but I broke them up when publishing to
have two different books. I then decided I wanted to add to the story and bring
some of it to a close as I only wanted to make it a trilogy, not a series.
Thus, I sat down and wrote the book in about a week.



 


Was there a scene that was particularly hard to write: The
rejection of the Queen’s female lover where she chooses a male lover over her
female lover. I’ve been through that once and know how much it hurts.





Where can we buy the book: The whole trilogy, as well as my
other books can be found on Amazon.com, smashwords.com, b&n.com.





Where can we find out more about Jodie and your Fangs-A-Lot
Blog Hop: Go to www.facebook.com/jodie.pierce.779 .
I also have an Amazon Author Page, a website: www.thevampirequeen1.weebly.com
and two blogs: www.thevampirequeen1.blogspot.com
(my personal blog) and www.jodiepierceauthor.blogspot.com
(my author’s blog).





 





 





 





 

 

From the Today Show

Sorry I'm late with this post. It got busy! I did have several scheduled to go live, up until today. So this will be quick and sweet.



Fun Facts from The Today Show




5.5 million pints of Guinness is consumed daily. On St. Patricks day that number more than doubles to 13 million.
There are 7 million St. Patrick's Day cards exchanged.
Leperchauns make shoes for fairies for a living.

Day 12: Win a Trip to Ireland

How green would you go to win a trip to Ireland? Even the Empire State Building is going green! Try out our fun app and enter our Great Green Off competition and you and five of your friends could find yourselves in Ireland. http://bit.ly/XZOaCq







For more information visit Tourism Ireland on Facebook today!!

Day 11: Ireland's Sports, Outdoors and Sense of Humor

A sporting nation… [image error]
Irish people are very passionate about Gaelic games – football, hurling, handball and camogie. Rugby and soccer are also very well supported in Ireland. Golfing stars from the island include former World Number One Rory McIlroy and U.S. PGA champion Padraig Harrington. Among Ireland’s athletic stars are Dervla O’Rourke, and Katie Taylor is an international boxing champion.



The great outdoors…
The Cavan Way, The Dingle Way and the Kerry Way are just some of the country’s scenic walking routes that offer a great opportunity to sample Ireland’s breathtaking countryside.



Sense of humour…
There’s nothing like the Irish sense of humour, wit and play with words. Have a look at the below examples:

“not backwards in coming forwards” – means a person is not shy.

“no flies on him” – means a person is not easily deceived.

“she has a tongue that would clip a hedge” – means a person who gossips.

“come for a day and stay for a week” – means someone outstaying their welcome.

Just a few facts to ponder over – for a small island we certainly have a lot going for us!





Read more: 20 Interesting and Fun Facts about Ireland - GoIreland