Vallory Vance's Blog, page 3

Newly Released – Scent of a Woman

It’s finally here – Scent of a Woman went live yesterday. I’m excited that another one of my works is out there! This is a departure from my contemporary romances. This is one of two paranormal / shifter romances that I’ve written. The second is in the second draft and hopefully by the end of the year will be ready for publication.

Scent of a Woman: A certain scent wafted under Ewan Hathorn’s nose. He knew what it meant but did she? 

Ada Trevors is searching through the canyons surrounding Haziel, Texas for an Ap-Muea—the man by day and the screeching cat by night. Though she doesn’t believe the legendary creature exists, she is certain the myth is based on something she can document. 

From the moment Ewan meets Ada he recognizes her as something more unique than his adua, his fated love. She’s a witch, one beautiful enough to entice the ruler of the Ap-Muea Nation. However knowing that she’s too human to understand the future they would share, he resigns himself to another century of being alone. That is until Ada proves to be more powerful than he’d imagined and an Ap-Muea demands her death. 

Together, Ewan and Ada must discover if the bonds of adua are strong enough to save them both. 

Excerpt (Ada meets Ewan for the first time)

“Maybe you should buy the next round for her.” Ada nudged Russ, disrupting the fourth check of his watch in the last thirty seconds. “She seems approachable.”

“We’re leaving.” Russ glared at her. For the last few minutes, he’d been glued to her side as if she‘d be the one doing the protecting in case of an emergency.

“We have three more minutes. Go talk to her.” Ada pinched his thigh. “Do it, or I’ll start tickling you…”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Huh?” Ada released her hold on Russ’s thigh and looked up at the man who had suddenly appeared at their table. Of course she wouldn’t have heard him approach. Now that a band had taken the stage, hardly anything else could be heard except a driving drumbeat. Still, she jumped a little at the sound of his voice.

“This is your credit card. It’s on the house.” The man held a gold card between his long fingers and smiled.

“Cool.” Russ jostled next her, indicating that she should move.

Russ’s bounce to get out of the booth rocked her body from side to side on the springy cushion, but she remained otherwise motionless. Her gaze locked with that of the man in front of them.

He was as out of place in the bar as she was. Among a crowd of button-down cotton shirts and jeans, he wore a tailored olive green suit that fit his lean body to perfection. His straight dark hair hung in a blunt line above his shoulders, seeming almost black against his parchment-colored skin. And he stood in front of her with the wide stance of absolute confidence, not some imagined, alcohol-induced swagger.

An unfettered smile stretched her lips upward.

“Thanks. We appreciate it.” She managed to take the card from his hand and shove it into what she hoped was the open side pocket of her purse. She hadn’t been able to notice anything else since he’d spoken.

It wasn’t that he was strikingly handsome – his brows were too thick and dark for his complexion, his chin ended in a point and his smile revealed incisors that appeared sharper than normal. It was his eyes that held her in place. Looking into the dark orbs rimmed in a flaming gold was like looking into a pond in the moonlight – playful beams of light mingled in the shadows, creating something beautiful and slightly dangerous. Her heart seemed to skip a beat, then two, and then three as she searched the depths of his eyes for her reflection in them.

For a moment she thought he sought the same. That was, until he spoke again.

“Management hopes you have enjoyed your evening, but you are being asked to find entertainment elsewhere.”

His voice was deep and smooth, devoid of the Texas twang she encountered in the small town. She could have listened to him talk all night.

If only he hadn’t just told her to get the hell out.

Copies are available through Evernight (on sale through the end of May), All Romance (rebate available until the end of May) and Amazon!

Happy Reading!

Sunday Chat with Mateen of the Albin

Our interview today is with one of the men of the new Evernight Publishing book, Bondmate by J. J. Lore, Mateen of the Albin, a native of Planet Alpha.

Hello, Mateen and welcome to Earth.

Thank you. I’m pleased to be here. You Earthlings have an interesting military history. I’m fascinated by your Aztecs.

Thank you, I think. So you’re a military man?

Yes, I’m proud to serve with my fellow Alphans, the galaxy’s finest fighting force. My bondmate, Bynton, and I have achieved high ranks and won many honors on the battlefield.

You mentioned bondmate. What is that?

Earthings don’t have bondmates? How strange. A bondmate is someone whose soul echoes your own. Men find a bondmate when they are in training, someone to spar with, partner in battle, treat each other’s wounds, share the spoils of war.

Sounds like a strong friendship.

It’s more than that, much more. It’s a meeting of the mind and psyche. One that can only be completed by bonding with the right woman.

So there’s room for one more?

Of course. Bynton and I are on our way to search for her now, here on Earth.

What’s your type?

My type? My type of what?

What sort of woman do you like? Tall, petite, blonde, brunette, thin, curvy?

Her appearance matters not. We will know her when we find her and she will be ours.

Do you have any hobbies? Things you like to do for fun?

I like to behead Xyran scum with my favorite blade. I also enjoy polishing my body armor.

I see. Well, good luck with your search for the perfect woman here on Earth.

Luck is not a factor.

Bondmate Blurb

Decorated Alphan warriors Mateen and Bynton are on a clandestine mission to one of Earth’s refugee camps, in search of the one woman who might complete their bond. Tempering their instincts to capture and hold, both men realize they must court their chosen woman to win her trust.

Avanelle Rein is merely trying to survive in the chaos of a dying society. The last thing she expects is rescue at the hands of golden-skinned alien men. Despite her attraction to them, she fears their warrior ferocity.

Facing danger from Xyran raiders draws the three together as they explore their new relationship and one another. An unexpected challenge during an ancient claiming right forces Avanelle, Bynton, and Mateen to decide if their bond is strong enough to survive.

Get your copy of Bondmate, one of the first releases in the Evernight Publishing Series, Planet Alpha at these online retailers:

Evernight and Amazon

Happy Reading!

 

There’s Still Time ~ The Swirl Awards 2014

valloryv:

Readers’ Choice Awards are still open!

Originally posted on :

There are times that I forget that I write within a niche genre of romantic fiction and there are times when I’m made aware that I do.

While promoting One Stormy Night, one blogger host commented that she’d never heard of an interracial romance.

Wow. This is the first work you’ve promoted within my genre, was my internal comment.

Then the thought repeated itself. This is the first interracial romance to be promoted on this blog to new readers.

After clicking the share button, I hoped that was good enough to represent the sub-genre to new readers.

And for my post today, I’m giving a huge thank you to the Swirl Awards which also saw  a need for the IR / MC writers to receive recognition for their work and connect readers to this fast growing genre.

Today is the final day for readers to make nominations.

Is there a publisher that…

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Coming Soon And Upcoming Events

With the year almost halfway done, I finally have a release coming out! I’m nervous and excited as I always am. Still no cover, but soon. Scent of a Woman hits the virtual shelves on May 20, 2014!

Now on to the events…

Attribution: Arvindn This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

On June 21, 2014, I’ll be a part of Beautiful Trouble Publishing’s Greet and Eat III in Austin, Texas. I’ve never been to an author / reader event and I think I jumped up and down and cried a little when I was invited…as an author. Wow!

Attribution: By David_Vasquez (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

And in July, I’ll be attending the Romance Novel Convention 2014 in Las Vegas! Not only will I be surrounded by amazing authors (I plan on having some fangirl moments), but my best friend is coming with me.

We haven’t seen each in two years so I’m thinking there are going to be a few late nights and once or twice one of us will say, “I can’t believe you did that.”

Now I’m off to find swag for both events, I have no idea what to get or how to prepare. So if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to post them below.

Happy Reading!

Congrats to the Winners…More to Come!

The winners of the Evernight Book Boyfriend Blog Hop and the Hot n Sprung Blog Hop have been notified. I hope you all enjoy!

There is one more event going on until midnight tonight. I’m giving away a $5.00 electronic Amazon Card and a pdf of In the Moment at Romance Novels in Color.

And for Mother’s Day, both Cheers and Deja Vu are free this weekend at All Romance so why not get both!

Cheers: As a successful Sales and Catering Manager for the posh Hayden Court Hotel located in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter, Darcey St. Claire is absolutely thrilled to be working on New Year’s Eve. The commission and bonus, she’ll receive from the two day Guidry Construction event will not only fund her spring trip to New York City, but buy a cute pair of shoes for the plane ride!

Her enthusiasm quickly turns to barely disguised irritation when Vincent Guidry arrives hours early for his scheduled check-in, demanding access to his suite. After he slashes the budget for the event, not even the crystal blue eyes of the former quarterback can quell the anger surging in her chest.

That is until he walks into the Chat Noir where she is trying to regroup after her irksome day.

In the private enclave known as the Cristal Room, Vincent willingly lights up Darcey’s New Year’s Eve and may have lost his heart in the process to the young woman who isn’t looking for anything serious.
Please be aware, this is a short story and contains language some readers may find offensive.

Deja Vu: One week has passed since Darcey St. Claire, a sales manager for a posh French Quarter hotel, broke the cardinal rule of sales – you don’t sleep with your client. Against her better judgement, she agrees to an even more egregious breach of her hotel contract.

A real date with the handsome former quarterback to take place over the course of a weekend. For both she and Vincent, it wasn’t supposed to be anymore than that.

But things changed…

Beginning a campaign to become the governor of Louisiana, Vincent Guidry’s plans are halted when his feelings for Darcey become more than sexual and the young woman cuts all ties with him. Her appearance in his office, seven weeks after their break-up, begins a backward journey to right the wrongs of their separate pasts.

Is a shared forever possible?

 

Book Spotlight on A Saint’s Salvation by Beverly Ovalle

Corporal Nicholas ‘Saint’ Santiago needs to go home to reclaim the man he used to be. To be the man he was before Operation Enduring Freedom slowly hardened his heart. He needs to reconnect to the values and the reasons he is doing what he does. Saint also needs to try to forget the courageous woman he knows was meant to be his.

Petty Officer Angelina Jones’ life changed the moment Saint saved her life. She survived the blast but now has to deal with the fact that she will never be whole. Knowing Saint received a ‘Dear John’ letter, Angelina has no intention of being his rebound romance. She needs to be loved for herself. She needs to forget about the one man she knows was meant to be hers.

They each try to find someone to help them forget.

But what does fate have planned for them?

 ~Excerpt~

A shout from Hamilton brought him back to the here and now. “Hey, Saint, do you see any trouble coming?” On guard at the west wall, Nick shook his head. Not that it was much of a wall, a couple of sandbags holding up a makeshift bullet riddled wooden fence, an illusion of safety and security.

“No, it all looks clear.” Well, as clear as normal, Nick thought. The Seabees and the Army Corp of Engineers had done their best to give them a clear line of site, but the rubble of buildings and piles of rock where there used to be a town never seemed to go away. Rebels constantly hid there, randomly firing at their FOB, a forward operating base in Helmand Provence, making it almost impossible to build a more secure perimeter.

Nick could see kids playing in the dirt. In the distance the locals were harvesting the poppy fields. Some of the largest poppy fields in the world were right outside the walls of the FOB. Beautiful when in bloom, they were more pervasive and did more damage than the terrorists.

“Anymore threats?”

“When aren’t there threats?” Every damn day there were threats. “Why, is there a problem?”

“The brass is making noise. When they do something stupid, we end up paying for it.” Hamilton sounded disgusted. As Hamilton spoke, shots were fired over and through the fence, adding more holes to the dilapidated barrier. Nick and Hamilton hit the ground, rolling toward the sandbags to return fire through the cracks. “See what I mean?”

“Yeah it’s been a while since they shot at us, at least a couple of days.” Nick’s sarcasm caused Hamilton to laugh.

“Probably someone is coming to pick up something from the poppy fields and they want to keep us from seeing who.” Hamilton glanced at him. “You doing okay?”

“Gettin’ there. It was just a shock, ya know?”

“Yeah, damn women. The least they could do is be faithful while we’re out here fighting.”

“Yeah, it sucks. I just can’t help thinking it’s my fault.”

“Fuck. How the hell could it be? You weren’t even there. The bitch knew you were gone, were going to be gone.” They fired shots, aiming at the muzzle flash in the distance. More Marines headed their way, sprinting from cover to cover. Perez came running, bringing out ammo and providing more fire power.

Another crack and Perez went down with a cry.

“Fuck! Medic! Man down!” The cry went out, passed through until the call went to the corpsman, while Nick tried to stem the blood flow. Hands pushed his away. Nick looked up. Petty Officer Jones, better known as Doc, had bandages ready.

“Help me roll this on until we can get him out of here.” Her voice sent a ripple through him. Nick had always ignored the attraction he had felt for her. He’d had his girl back home, and fraternization out here could get him thrown in the brig. Not to mention the brig out here was a hell hole.

Nick was leery about approaching Doc now. The Dear John letter had been a shock. He had known Leila for years. Hell, they had been friends since they were little. Her betrayal was unexpected. Nick didn’t even really know Doc. He could trust her with his life, but he wasn’t ready for another go around with his heart, no matter the attraction he felt.

Nick looked toward the fence line, rifle at the ready. Shots were firing sporadically around him. That’s when he saw it, the trail from a grenade launcher, unmistakable. Shit!

Buy Links:  Amazon       Barnes and Noble       All Romance eBooks      Bookstrand     Secret Cravings

~View the Book Trailer~

 ~About the Author~

Beverly Ovalle lives in Wisconsin with her husband Edmond of 24 years and two Chinese Water Dragons. Having her own Dragons is expected as she is dragon crazy and anyone that walks in her house can tell. Her son Nicholas visits when he is on leave from the Marines. Her daughter Susannah visits to the ‘old’ people.

Beverly has traveled around the world thanks to five years in the US Navy and has worked for the government in one capacity or another for the past 30 years. Beverly and her brothers have travelled most of the continental United States as children due to the station wagon from Hell. Still active with veterans, she is adjutant for her local AMVETS.

Beverly has been reading romances since her Aunt introduced her to the gothic romance in the fourth grade and is still reading every chance she gets.

Author Links:      Facebook       Twitter       Pinterest       Site     

~Giveaway~

Beverly is giving away a book thong.

For a chance to win please here click for the rafflecopter.

 

 

Book Spotlight on Island Bride by Danica Winters

Wedding planner to the rich and famous, Amy Oliver isn’t the kind of woman to take a break even on a vacation. No, business first and then comes pleasure—or maybe not—she’d have to check her schedule.

When Amy selects to take a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to New Zealand, she finds herself using the trip to put her career first. But when life gets in the way of her work, she is forced to decide whether to follow the path of least resistance or forge a new path–a path that may lead to heartache as easily as love. What is a driven woman to do?

~Excerpt~

While she waited in the New Zealand hotel’s bar for her assistant, Amy Oliver’s thoughts wandered to Jason. After a long day like this, she used to slip her fingers into his as soon as she sank into their bed. His fingers would collapse around hers, as if they had waited all day for her presence. Yet, the longer she held his hand, no matter how hard or how light her grip, the less and less she had felt his touch. Before long, just as she had lost the feeling of his fingers night after night, she had lost his love—even though their skins had been pressed together.

The bar around her was almost empty except for a couple who sat in the shadows. Amy took a long drink from the glass of Chardonnay and sat it back down on the bar. Droplets of condensation pooled where her fingers had pressed against the glass. Love in a touch. Love lost in that same touch. It all depended on the force. How right they had been.

Why hadn’t she listened?

The Chardonnay tasted harsh and dry, but it was nothing compared to the Arctic chill that had invaded her core.

“You ready, Amy?” Her assistant, Honeysuckle, called from the door of the hotel lounge. A large binder was stuffed against her blood-red business suit, like it was the only life preserver in a sea filled with sharks.

What parent in their right mind would name their daughter Honeysuckle?

The woman perched on the tips of her Choo’s like she was ready to pirouette across the bar. Her red hair was pulled back with one perfect little curl framing her face. No matter the amount of hairspray or thousand dollar suits, Honeysuckle still carried the shame of an overly sweet-scented name that must have been given to her by a tribe of left-over lovechildren.

“Come on!” Honeysuckle made her way across the bar, unaware of the interruption she caused in Amy’s pity party. “The wedding starts tomorrow and the florist says they’re running late with a shipment. The orchids won’t be arriving until tomorrow morning and now he’s saying that there’s no way he can get all forty-seven arrangements completed before six.”

Amy dipped her finger in the pool of condensation on her wine glass and licked it from her fingertip. Her chance at love may have come and gone, but that didn’t mean she could ignore the ignorant bliss of those who paid her to fantasize about theirs. Happy hour was officially over.

Buy Links: Amazon

~About the Author~

Danica Winters is a bestselling author who is known for writing award-winning books that grip readers with their ability to drive emotion through suspense and often a touch of magic. She is also the Assistant Editor for Books To Go Now Publishing.

When she’s not working she can be found in the wilds of Montana working on her patience while she tries to understand the allure of various crafts (quilting, pottery, and painting are not her thing). She always believes the cup is neither half full nor half empty, but it better be filled with wine.

Author Links: Site       Facebook      Twitter

***Check out book one The Empress of Ireland ***

Laila Byrne made a final promise to her friend. She will travel more and work less. After sticking a pin in a map of the world, she heads off to Ireland.

Laila’s trip doesn’t work out as planned, but the mix-up results in a chance encounter with a handsome Irishman, Alasdair.

Alasdair spends all his waking hours trying to figure out how to keep his family’s century old pub, The Empress of Ireland, open for business. He doesn’t have time for anything. But when the lovely American comes across his path, will he find time?

Once you come to Ireland, you may never leave.

Buy Links:  Amazon  

~Giveaway~

 Danica is giving away two e-book copies of Christmas Romance Anthology, and five Swag Packs (US only)

For a chance to win please click her for the rafflecopter.

 

 

Hot N Sprung Blog Hop – Whew!

Sex on the Beach? You know that fruity cocktail of vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice and a bunch of other things that could have you losing your inhibitions after one or two?

For me, that’s what a summer read by the pool should be – fun, flirty and it should leave you with a naughty thought or two.

I haven’t published a lot but if I had to pick one of my stories for a pool time read, it would be In the Moment. The novella begins on a hot day in April with the hero, Kevin Miller, stuck in a traffic jam on his way to a Friday late afternoon meeting. He’s fuming. But by the end of that meeting, he’s hot for an entirely different reason.

In this short, you’ll find a strong hero with a soft side and an equally strong heroine with not much of a soft side. As one reader commented, “It was sexy, sweet charming and spicy to boot!”

So if you’re headed down to the pool, why not take Amber and Kevin with you? Three lucky commenters will receive a complimentary copy of In the Moment. (Aww, I’ve already read that one. Then just ask for the follow-up novel, The Beginning of Forever.) Leave a comment, any ol’ thing you’d like to say with your email address for a chance to win.

And don’t forget to keep hopping, the hop continues with

1.
Thayer King




2.
Casey Moss




3.
Capri Montgomery Books






4.
Summer In Regency Cornwall




5.
Erotic Romance Author- RaeLynn Blue




6.
Lyn Brittan






7.
Tara Quan




8.
Written Butterfly (Beth D. Carter)




9.
Carlene Love Flores






10.
The Shfiter Queen LeTeisha Newton




11.
Romance Novels in Color




12.
Londons Scribbles






13.
Iyanas Rainbow




14.
Kiru Taye (INT)




15.
Jodi Redford






16.
Vallory V – Sweet and Sexy Romances




17.
Lisa G. Riley




18.
Roxy Wilson ~ Where the sexy things are. . .






19.
Romance Beckons




20.
Sanya Dane




21.
Lena Hart






22.
Tista Ray




23.
Serena Zane – Passion to Die for. . .




24.
Not Necessarily In That Order






25.
Janette Harjo




26.
Dahlia DeWinters




27.
Laurel Cremant, Romance Author

And the link to the Rafflecopter prizes is here!

Happy Hopping!

Evernight Book Boyfriend – Shane Fowler

The Book Boyfriend Blog Hop is back and better than ever!

The authors of Evernight have a brand new team of swoon-worthy book boyfriend candidates. A sexy assortment of cowboys, Doms, detectives, millionaires, royalty, vampires, soldiers, and shifters are just a click away.

Get ready to find your next book boyfriend…

I’m excited to introduce you to Shane Fowler of One Stormy Night and one of the many book boyfriends you’re going to meet over the next few days.

Shane is a little different than most. Not a cowboy, not a millionaire. He’s the boy you wished lived next door – handsome, funny, smart and very sweet. Well, not so sweet according to one ex-girlfriend. But that’s not the point. When you’re together he’ll flash that megawatt smile and have you floating.

That’s what he does for the heroine of One Stormy Night, Alexis Joplin, and they’re just friends…or so they say.

Let’s take a peek at what happens one evening while the two are watching the rain from the front porch of a hundred-year old inn:

From One Stormy Night

“Alexis, you are a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you,” she mouthed.

The gentle breath she blew across his cheek tingled. The subsequent pucker of her lips against his skin burned. Desire to have her flamed in his groin, and not even the furious splatter of rain down his back doused it.

“You’re smart and funny and caring. A woman any man would want to wake up next to,” he whispered. Shane stopped fighting the urge.

He kissed her.

Shane savored the lingering tartness of the wine as he kissed her lips. Bursts of simmering raspberries and cherries tingled over his mouth, adding to the fire growing deep within him.

For a few seconds after slipping his tongue inside her mouth, he thought he’d found relief from the gnawing ache.

Then she kissed him back, sweeping her tongue over and under his in slow, tantalizing circles. How many nights have I dreamed about kissing her like this?

“Damn.” He snapped his head back, excited by the tickle of the murmuring sounds coming from deep in her throat, and lifted Alexis into his lap.

The swing creaked from the sudden movement, but he wasn’t going to let go just yet.

“Oh.”

He covered her mouth with his and caressed her breast. The lush mound was as firm, yet yielding to the squeeze of his hand, as he’d always imagined.

But he needed more than the feel of fabric to satisfy the awful thump between his legs. He slid his fingers under the dress’s crisscrossed neckline until he reached her nipple. Her tender skin shrunk into a point, making it easier to pluck while his tongue danced over hers.

“Shane.” Alexis moaned out his name.

He kissed down her the smooth skin of her neck, now wet from the rain splattering over them.

“Yes,” she whispered into his ear.

I’m not letting her go now. He licked closer to the spot where his fingers played.

Clunk. Clunk.

“Oh, shit.” Alexis tore away from him, staggering to her feet as the swing plummeted.

What’s up for grabs?

One lucky hopper will win a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate sponsored by Evernight Publishing.
Plus, each author is giving away their own unique prize! So visit each blog hop stop for a host of fabulous prizes to win.
The Vallory V blog will be giving away a $5.00 electronic Amazon Gift Card or $5.00 in eBucks from All Romance, winner’s choice. One lucky winner will be chosen from the comments so be sure to leave your email address!

 How to enter? Answer this question in the comments below…

With only a snippet, a photo, and my description of Shane, where do you think he’d take someone on a romantic date?

Be sure to leave the answer and your email address to be eligible to win a prize. Each comment gives you an entry for the grand prize (one per blog hop stop).

Keep hopping to the next author or blogger. After you’ve met each hero click here to vote for your favorite book boyfriend. You’ll earn an extra grand prize entry!

You’re one step closer to meeting your next Book Boyfriend…

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Click here view the other hoppers…

Not an Alpha…But I Think He’s Sexy

valloryv:

Originally posted on the Luscious Literaries blog!

Originally posted on :

In one of my writer groups, a member shared that she’d submitted a menage piece for an anthology that wasn’t accepted. What she learned from the rejection was what she’d felt while she was writing - she doesn’t write menage at this point in her career. Maybe one day. But not now.

I felt her pain. I don’t write the quintessential alpha male. I like to read about the domineering hero who doesn’t take ‘no’ for answer not even from a feisty heroine until he absolutely can’t breathe. I’ve fallen in love with quite a few of those heroes.

However, I don’t channel them and I’ve tried.

Instead from me you’ll get a mix of brains and brawn and not a lot of cunning. These are men who feel that pull of attraction immediately, but are willing to wait for their heroines to make their own choices.

Of course these non-Alphas get overwhelmed at…

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