Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 28

Weekend Book Club: CRASH INTO YOU

I am neck-deep in deadlines at the moment...not a good time to start a book like CRASH INTO YOU.

Because I couldn't put it down.

Read it in 2 nights, staying up very late!



Here's the blurb:



Brynn LeBreck has dedicated herself to helping women in crisis, but she never imagined how personal her work would get, or where it would take her. Her younger sister is missing, suspected to be hiding from cops and criminals alike at a highly secretive BDSM retreat-a place where the elite escape to play out their most extreme sexual fantasies. To find her, Brynn must go undercover as a sexual submissive. Unfortunately, The Ranch is invitation only. And the one master who can get her in is from the darkest corner of Brynn's past.

Brynn knows what attorney Reid Jamison is like once stripped of his conservative suit and tie. Years ago she left herself vulnerable only to have him crush her heart. Now she needs him again. Back on top. And he's all too willing to engage. But as their primal desires and old wounds are exposed, the sexual games escalate-and so does the danger. Their hearts aren't the only things at risk. Someone else is watching, playing by his own rules. And his game could be murder.




I don't read a lot of erotica but couldn't stop reading Crash into You.

Loved the strong character development, the intrigue and the unexpected plot twist at the end.

Nothing sexier than a strong alpha hero and a strong-willed woman to match him in every way, even if she's his sub.

The BDSM relationship between the hero/heroine was explored with tenderness, as well as being super sexy.

Can't wait to read Jace's story! (which I just discovered is a RITA finalist in Single title romance this year: MELT INTO YOU.) Considering how great this book was, I'm not surprised!

What are you reading this weekend?

Guest author: ROS BAXTER

I'm thrilled to welcome Aussie author Ros Baxter to my blog today.




Take it away, Ros!




The tail so far…

Sorry about the tail thing, but when you’ve written a mermaid mystery,
it’s hard to resist the pun (even when your mermaids don’t have tails). 





Quick snapshot
of Fish Out of Water:




A mermaid from
a secret underwater kingdom.  Living
incognito in a small, dry frontier town. 
Working as a cop; dating a solider-of-fortune (on and off); counting
the days til her thirtieth birthday when time runs out (a clairvoyant told
her 30 is the end of the road unless she can “change the course of destiny
and save the world entire”).  Enter a
mysterious dead blonde on Main Street. 
A visit home to the deep sea for the first time in thirteen years. A
smokin’ hot merman with secrets of his own. 
And a ten thousand year old prophesy that seems to have her name
written all over it.







Since penning my quirky mermaid mystery, the question I keep getting
asked is: why a mermaid?   Was it
watching too much Ariel with my four year old? Taking my Splash intravenously
at ten? Well yeah, maybe.  But the answer
is also both simpler and more complicated.

Firstly, there’s something endlessly romantic about mermaids.  From sirens to selkies they conjure magic,
myth and mystery.  And it only got better
as I started to research.  Like finding
out about the Mariana Trench – the deepest place of the ocean floor, seven
miles down and so dark and dangerous only four descents have ever been made.
And about the Norse legends of Aegir, God of the Boundless Seas and his nine
daughters, the billow maidens. And how whales make those songs.

Secondly, I love a good old fashioned juxtaposition.  A mermaid on the land.  An otherworldly creature of light and beauty
kicking ass, packing heat and dating the wrong men. A tough girl with an
over-developed protective instinct and secrets that make her vulnerable.

Third, it was her.  She just
knocked on the door one day, pointed her glock at me and demanded I writer her
story.  From her first line, I was
hooked. Here’s a little taste of what she had to tell me.








Mermaids don’t wear nicotine patches.  They don’t drink Southern Comfort from a
hip flask, inhale twinkies or watch Dr Phil. 
Mermaids don’t pack heat.  And
mermaids definitely don’t get their hearts broken by tattooed guys who look
like pirates.  In fact, mermaids have
always been kinda down on pirates... but that’s another story.  The cardinal rule is this: mermaids don’t
live in bone-dry frontier towns. Ever. 


But here’s the thing.  Me, I don’t leave home without my patches,
hip flask and Glock.  My last moment of
true moderation was back in kindergarten, when I stopped myself from using my
awesome strength to rip Jamie Kennedy’s pecker off when he waved it at Julie
Casey in the bathroom and made her cry. 
And don’t even start me on my penchant for pirates. 

But I am, in fact, a mermaid. So go figure.

Well, technically, Mom’s folks call themselves
Aegirans, and they don’t sprout tails, but they’re the closest thing to
mermaids under the sea.  And, as much
as it used to hurt, I’m what they call a dirt-dweller, seeing as Mom was a
runaway, Dad’s Sicilian and we live on The Land. 

But not for long. 
You see, I’ve only got three weeks to live.  Give or take. 







So, I’m wondering, what mythical creatures captured your heart at a tender
age?  I’ve got a free copy of my mermaid
mystery for the most interesting tale…




***














Ros Baxter has been writing since she was eight and penned a
whimsical series of short stories about a race of tiny people who lived on a
rainbow. While they were a hit in the playground, a few things intervened – including
a career in social policy and four noisy children.

Ros started writing again in earnest three years ago. In that
time, Ros has secured a two-book deal with Harper Collins Australia, published
Sister Pact (a romantic comedy co-written with her sister Ali) and Fish Out
of Water (Escape Publishing on 1 April), been a contributing author to the
e-anthology URL Love, and finaled in the STALI competition.




Ros writes fresh, funny, genre-busting fiction.  She digs feisty heroines, good friends,
quirky families, heroes to make you sigh and tingle, and a dash of fantasy from
time to time.

Ros also runs a successful business consulting to government and
the private sector.  She teaches
professional writing skills and has authored a writing guide, Clarity.

Ros lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband Blair, four
small but very opinionated children, a neurotic dog and nine billion germs.

You can email Ros at rosbaxterink@gmail.com or find her at
www.facebook.com/RosBaxterInk, on twitter
@RosBaxter, or www.rosbaxterink.com.











Blurb:

“It’s
 Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum meets Splash
in a sexy, smart-talking debut about a mermaid in a desert, a city under water,
and the secret that no-one is supposed to uncover.”











Fish out of Water

Dirtwater's straight-talking Deputy Sheriff has a lot on her plate: a
nicotine addiction that's a serious liability for a mermaid, a
solider-of-fortune ex who's hooked on her Mom's brownies, a gorgeous, naked
stranger in her shower, and a mysterious dead blonde with a fish tattoo on
Main Street.

Oh, and one other thing.

She's scheduled to die on her thirtieth birthday - in
three weeks - unless she can 'change the course of destiny and save the world
entire'. Throw in a Mom who's the local Mayor and a Dad who's been locked in
the county jail for twelve years, and that's all the trouble she needs
without her mermaid roots coming back to haunt her.




Rania's heading home to Aegira for a family wedding but
she's starting to have a sinking feeling that's got nothing to do with
hydroporting seven miles under the sea and everything to do with some weird
connections that seem to be emerging between her, the dead blonde, her Mom's
shady past and a ten thousand year old prophesy. Now if she can just steal a
corpse, get a crazy Aegirian priest off her case, work out who the hell's
trying to kill her and stop sleeping with the fishes, she might be able to
unravel the prophesy, the mystery of the missing choirgirls and the secrets
hidden in her Mom's past. And maybe even save her own ass while she's at it.



Buy
Fish Out of Water.

Find out more at www.rosbaxterink.com





Thanks for stopping by, Ros.

I wish you many sales to go with those tails! ;)

Goodreads giveaway: HER DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

HER DEAL WITH THE DEVIL releases in a few weeks and to celebrate, I'm giving away 2 paperback copies on Goodreads.



Click HERE to enter.

Bargain book, rural romance

If you're an Aussie who enjoys rural romance and loves a good bargain like me, go grab Rachael John's MAN DROUGHT today.



It is heaps off and priced at $1.05!!!



Here's the link



Enjoy!

COVER REVEAL: What the Paparazzi Didn't See

The new Harlequin Kiss covers are fun, flirty and bright.



My first Kiss is in May, HER DEAL WITH THE DEVIL (preorder at 15% off with free worldwide shipping!), closely followed by WHAT THE PAPARAZZI DIDN'T SEE , my WAG story, in July. (same cheap preorder deal as above!)



What do you think?

Quick pop-in

Quick pop-in to wish you all a happy Easter.



I've had a glorious 4 days offline, playing with my kids, visiting family, having picnics in the park, long walks and general fun.



And a much needed break from work!



But it's back to writing tonight as I have line edits for SCION OF THE SUN due shortly and a few other books that need to be written.



It's school holidays here at the moment so I'll be squeezing in my writing at night while playing during the day.

I love the lack of routine: no school lunches to make, no rushing around, no after school activities.

Bliss!



What do you like about school holidays?

Cover reveal: Her Deal with the Devil in OZ

HER DEAL WITH THE DEVIL , OZ & NZ cover, releasing in May!



You like?

Another indie success story

The publishing world is buzzing with news of another indie success story.



Jennifer Armentrout (YA author with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Publishing, Disney Hyperion and Harlequin Teen-who has blurbed my paranormal YA SCION OF THE SUN ) also writes contemporary romances for Entangled as J. Lynn.



She recently indie published her first New Adult title, WAIT FOR YOU...that hit the NYT and USA Today bestsellers lists within days and stayed at #1 in the kindle store for a while.



Fast forward a few weeks...and Harper Collins Avon has snapped up print rights to this book and the 2 sequels for a high 6 figure sum.

Very exciting!



Read the full story here.



Congrats Jennifer!



(I stayed up very late last night to finish Wait for You! Review to come in Weekend Book Club here next weekend.)

Free book! Grab BRASH now

BRASH: Sexy Aussie celebrity chef (I pictured Alex O'Loughlin while writing Jack!) and small town US librarian Jess rekindle their past on an island while planning the burlesque wedding of the year.

Want to read more?



If you enjoy sizzling contemporary romance, go grab a copy of BRASH now.

It's FREE!



Amazon US

Amazon UK



And please tell your friends!

Weekend Book Club: The Secret Wedding Dress

I've been a fan of Ally Blake's fun, flirty, contemporary romance novels for a long time and her latest, THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS , is just as good as the rest.



It is part of the new Harlequin Kiss series (which all my Harlequin books will be a part of going forward) and from the books I've read so far, it's a fabulous series!



Here's the blurb:



A wedding dress...but no bride!  Paige Danforth isn't interested in setting herself up for an unhappy-ever-after-thanks to her father's betrayal, the closest she'll ever get to walking down the aisle is as a bridesmaid. But one bridal sale later, Paige is left clutching her own champagne chiffon wedding dress! Clearly she needs to end her self-imposed dating drought.... 

Enter ruggedly sexy neighbor Gabe Hamilton. He wants Paige in his bed and nothing more-no promises made, no promises broken. But will this big, bad adventurer stick around when he discovers not only skeletons-but the wedding dress-in her closet?



I love reading books set in my fabulous home city of Melbourne.

Paige is ballsy and quirky, Gabe is flawed and incredibly sexy. The kind of hero who makes this gal want to trawl the Docklands in search of him!

Thoroughly enjoyed!



What are you reading this weekend?