Mia Fox's Blog, page 6

Key Lime Cake

Kids love dressing up in green for Saint Patrick’s Day and I wanted to get in on the action. But instead of just dressing up, I decided to dress up our dessert too with this very green, but oh so delicious key lime cake courtesy of Trisha Yearwood.

After you’ve butter and floured a 9 x 13 inch pan, set the oven for 350 degrees. Now combine the following:

One 3-ounce package lime flavored gelatin

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Add the following to the dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 large eggs, slightly beaten

It mixes up in just one bowl so not only is it yummy, but easy to make as well. Just look at this gooey green batter!

Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

While it’s baking, make this easy glaze.

Glaze:

1/2 cup key lime juice (from about 25 small key limes or 4 large regular limes)

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

I’ve got a trick for getting juice out of a lime. Stab it with a fork and twist the lime around the utensil.

Next for the fun part and what makes this cake so moist. When it comes out of the oven and is still warm (not hot), stab it all over with a fork. Now slowly pour your glaze over the top, allowing it to seep into your fork holes.

Time to make your icing. Don’t worry…so easy. Just let the ingredients come to room  temperature.

Icing:

1/2 cup (1 stick butter), room temperature

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

One 1 pound box confectioners’ sugar

lemon juice to taste

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the confectioners’ sugar slowly…very slowly or you will be covered in it. Mix until mixture is smooth. Add in a couple tablespoons of lemon juice to taste. When your cake is cool, spread this bit of scrumptiousness all over it.

And voila! Your finished cake! Who says it’s not easy being green? Everyone is going to want a piece of this one.

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The Fixer Upper by Anne Conley

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – The Fixer Upper

SERIES – None

AUTHOR – Anne Conley

GENRE – Contemporary Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – March 1st

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 60K

PUBLISHER – Anne Conley

COVER ARTIST – Samantha Holt









BOOK SYNOPSIS

James is a has-been restaurateur from the UK, trying desperately to get himself out of the hole he’s dug for himself, while trying to figure out how to suddenly be a Dad for his brand-new tween-ager. He thinks he’s fixing things, or at least he’s making a mortgage payment, when he takes a job on a dating show as the Fixer Upper.

Margaret’s life is perfect. At least, that’s what she keeps telling herself. A recent divorcee, she can’t believe she’s turned into a cliché. When she makes a deal with her ever-helpful mother who will stop fixing her up with men, if Margaret will go on a dating show, she thinks she’s solved one of her problems.

What happens when the womanizing TV host meets the classy lady with OCD tendencies? Can they find what they need in each other?

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – GOODREADS





EXCERPT

James watched as she picked up her onion sword and dipped it into her mouth, extracting one and swirling it around her mouth before taking a drink. He sipped on his scotch, churning it around his mouth and letting it cleanse him as it went down his throat, bloomed in his chest, and spread through his stomach. He relished the burn.

The bartender came over to wash some glasses near them, and after catching James’s eye, lowered to whisper to him, “Are you her decoy?”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s in here almost every night, beating men off, explaining why she doesn’t need to actually have a boyfriend to not be interested. I was just wondering if you were pretending to be her boyfriend, so she wouldn’t get hit on. I’ve been tempted to offer myself.”

“No, I’m not pretending to be her boyfriend.” James couldn’t hold back the grin at the image of Margaret fighting off potential admirers.

“Are you really her boyfriend?” The poor man’s eyes were huge with disbelief, and James could completely understand. She did put off the cold fish vibe, but he ached to change that.

“I can hear you two idiots,” Margaret hissed at them. Turning on the poor boy, “You are no longer my favorite. Where’s Marcy? She’s almost as good at my martini as you are.”

“Sorry. She’s not in tonight, you’re stuck with me.” He grinned at her boyishly, and James watched her blush. Was she flirting with the bartender? He left to go help someone at the end of the bar, and James turned to her.

“You like him, huh? Is he the one you want to take to dinner?” Her lucky date for tonight would get dinner out on the show.

“No! He’s a child!”

“That’s right. That pesky age thing.”

Before he could elaborate, a sharp-dressed CEO type walked up to Margaret on her other side. The man exuded money, from his Armani to his Rolex. James watched with interest.

“Hey there sweet thing. Can I buy you another?”

James felt a prickle of jealousy and again questioned himself. He had no claims on her, in fact, he was here to help her get a date, in spite of what the producers said. Even so, he cheered inside his head when her mouth shaped the word no, before snapping shut. When she re-thought her response, his unease returned.

“Sure, why not?” Her voice was blithe, but James saw the underlying tension and resignation to the simple statement, like she knew exactly what was going to happen next, and dreaded it, participating only to please the show.

As soon as the bartender brought another drink for the two, the man bent down close to Margaret’s ear. James didn’t hear all of it, but he managed to see red darken his Maggie’s chest and knew exactly what that meant, he’d done it to her himself. Before he could react, she’d thrown her drink in the CEO’s face, who took it all with aplomb.

Removing his handkerchief from his breast pocket, the man wiped his face before smirking and leaving. No more words were spoken.

“What the hell did he say to you?”

Angry tears sounded in her voice, and sudden understanding dawned on him. Men were fucking pigs. “He told me to come back to his place so he could stick his dick in my hot, wet, cu—“Never mind. Forget I asked.” Her eyes shined at him, as if tears were just under the surface, and James wondered if it was always like this for beautiful women with no self-esteem. Margaret knew she was pretty, but didn’t give herself enough credit for the rest. That’s why she kept her standards so high, so she didn’t get hurt. And the men who came on to her were total assholes. James knew she’d only allowed the wanker to buy her drink because he’d told her to lower her standards. If she kept up with her normal routine, that man wouldn’t have stood there more than thirty seconds.

James held out his arms, trying to be comforting, and to his surprise, Margaret sort of slumped towards him. He took a step forward and enfolded her in his arms. It was similar to last night’s embrace, except she wasn’t trying to beat him senseless. Instead, she was just… limp.

Stroking her back, feeling her warmth through the thin material of her dress, he inhaled the scent of her shampoo, lavender and vanilla. Scents that should remind him of his gram, only on Maggie, they made him want her naked.

He was such a fucking tool, no different from the others.

She relaxed in his embrace, her own arms coming around his waist and squeezing him, pressing herself against him. Something welled up inside, something a little foreign, something that surprised him. He realized he cared for her, and not just enough to sleep with her. James cared for Margaret enough to want to know what happened to them after the sex.

“We should just go. I’m hopeless.” She sniffed into his chest, and he could barely hear her. “I’ve thrown my drink at one guy, and I’m hugging on you. Nobody’s going to want to go out with me now.”

“I do.” His words shocked him, but no less for the meaning behind him. He did want to take her out. He wanted to make her feel desired, undo all his words of yesterday and the day before. He regretted them, immensely, and didn’t know what to do to take them back.

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed with confusion, but didn’t take a step back. Still holding her with one arm, he reached his other to smooth the wrinkles on her forehead, and shrugged, murmuring, “Masochistic tendencies.”

Her lips curled into a smile, and she laughed. He’d never heard the clear tinkling sound resonating from her before, and suddenly he lost all of his senses. Something changed in both of them. As abruptly as she started laughing, she stopped, and James watched as her gaze focused on his lips. Maggie’s tongue snaked out and stroked her bottom lip, leaving it sparkling wet, preparing it for him. James was lost. He wasn’t sure if she raised herself, or if he lowered his face, but in the next second, their lips were on each other’s.

AUTHOR BIO

Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She’s been writing for public consumption for the last four years. Currently she is writing two romance series. In Stories of Serendipity, she explores real people living real lives in small town Texas in a contemporary romance setting. In The Four Winds, she chronicles God’s four closest archangels, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael, falling in love and becoming human. She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.





AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG – FACEBOOK (Fan Page) – FACEBOOK (Friend Page) – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ – PINTEREST – GOODREADS – Sign up for Newsletter









GIVEAWAY PRIZES

2 ecopies of the Fixer Upper

1 ecopy of The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men

$5 amazon giftcard





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Age in Reverse

In my Romani Realm series beginning with “Released” and followed by “Resurrected,” Suki is a genie and Raven  is a demon gypsy. Both have been around for multiple centuries, but are blessed with perfect skin and don’t look a day beyond early 20s. It’s fiction, remember? But in reality, there are ways to age in reverse by taking care of your health. Read on…

Your daily habits truly affect your age, not only your body’s physical well being, but your mental health as well. To capitalize on your youth and maintain longevity, try these suggestions:

Drop a few pounds

Obesity increases risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and more

Limit alcohol

Come on, it’s alcohol. It’s not a green juice drink and it’s not great for your internal organs so limit your intake.

Ease stress levels

Stress equals wrinkles. It’s that simple. Try deep-breathing, meditation, or my favorite, yoga.

Keep learning

Can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Nonsense. That’s what keeps the dog young. Oh, and speaking of learning and dogs…I’m writing a book about what I’ve learned about romance from observing my two dogs. But I digress…onwards.

Connect with Others

Finally! A reason to stay on Facebook. But you also need to connect with people in your real life. Friendships help our mental well being and keep us positive, which wards off stress.

Volunteer

Do good unto others and you’ll feel good about yourself. Another way to fight stress and stay connected.

Exercise

You know it’s good for you. You didn’t need to read it here. Hate exercise? How about just taking the dog for a walk? Want to talk about yoga, need some advice on how to start or what practice is best for you? Drop me a line.

No smoking.

Yep, I said ‘no’ as in stop now. Find a buddy, find an organization, do anything. Just stop. You’re poisoning your insides and messing up your skin.

What about food?

I have a pretty strict diet and that’s for another blog post, but my best advice related to eating and how we look and feel is to read labels. If your food contains a bunch of stuff that you can’t even pronounce, your body is not going to be happy with you.

This is a long list and many of the items may be quite difficult for some people to tackle. I recognize that. Don’t beat yourself up. Why not try to just adhere to one? Then next week, try another. Set goals for yourself and see if you can become like Suki and Raven (who by the way, are gearing up to appear in the third installment of the Romani Realms series, “Returned” this spring.

Related articles across the web

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Alexander McCabe’s Greater Expectations

Ever wonder what a romance writer would plan for a romantic date? Alexander McCabe, author of Greater Expectations, shared his top ten date locales.

This all depends on individual circumstances – is it strangers on a first date? Or is it for a third or fourth date of friends who have taken it to the next stage? So many others that could be considered so I shall err on the side of caution.

Hot Air Ballooning – Something completely different but great fun (unless either of you suffer from vertigo!)

Bowling – Always a fun time, unless one of you is uber competitive (like me!)

Hiking – As a Scotsman, I grew up surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and glens. The weather in Scotland is consistent too, it’s always “changeable”.  As we say, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. The temperamental weather only adds to the hiking experience.

The Zoo – I understand and respect the arguments against having a zoo at all but I always enjoy going there and seeing the animals.

The Theatre – I lived in London for awhile and went to see the musical “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in the West End. I have never laughed so hard, it was simply magical and a great way to spend an evening. It also gave us plenty to talk about afterwards.

A Concert – Everyone loves music in some guise or another, so going to see your date’s favourite band is always a winner.

Playing tourist – You may think you know everything about your own town or city, this is a chance to either prove or disprove your theory.

Ice Skating – I cannot ice skate (I now live in Canada and this admission is met with shock and derision!) but I have tried and it was great fun.

Learn to Dance – A great way to get fit, to have fun, and to get up close and personal with your date. What more could you want??

Dinner and a movie – The trusty old faithful, it is a tried and tested date that I have always enjoyed. Except when the dinner was Italian and I ordered spaghetti. My clean shirt ended up looking like a polka dot. Thankfully, my date found it funny.

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Greater Expectations

AUTHOR – Alexander McCabe

GENRE – Romantic Comedy

PUBLICATION DATE – August 5th 2014

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 257 pages / approx. 90,000 words

PUBLISHER – Self published ebook

COVER ARTIST – Kirsty C. Maclauchlan





BOOK SYNOPSIS

It is said that the course of true love never runs smooth – even for us men. Yet it has never been easier to find love than in this modern digital era where the mighty computer has all but rendered Cupid redundant. Love is now to be found, quite literally, at your fingertips. Although love also seems to have changed with the times. This new love is deceitful and manipulative, cunning and untrustworthy. Love has gotten ugly. Thankfully, not all the answers to life’s mysteries are to be found in the computer and Cupid – battered and bruised as he may be – proves that he still has some game and a few tricks up his sleeve…



BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK – GOODREADS – SHELFARI





EXCERPT

When first I met my now estranged wife during our Master’s year at university, I was seeing someone else too. In the main, this defines me as a “bastard”, although I preferred to think of myself as a “player”. Indeed I would argue that it falls under the guise of “sowing wild oats”. That’s the phrase that makes the practice somehow acceptable, and mothers the world over tell their sons that this is what they need to do before they settle down. The rite of passage into manhood as it were. At least, it’s what my mother told me. Women may argue this point – sorry, women will argue this point – but then they become mothers.

Naturally, they just don’t want those “wild oats” sown with their own daughters.

However, it is a fallacy to think that we men are completely heartless. I realised that I actually liked the girl that I eventually married so quickly ended all contact with the third party. In actual fact, she was a girl that I had been seeing first but only by a matter of a few weeks. I got the usual tirade of “bastard” texts, emails, and drunken voicemails. “I thought you were different” being the obligatory phrase that she just had to use during every one of these “opportunities”. In one particular instance, during which she also branded me a “coward”, I foolishly responded. I explained to her that I was merely being cruel to be kind as it was blatantly obvious to me that there we had no future together. Furthermore, after everything that had been said and done – more on her part now than mine – she would surely realise and accept that there was no going back as any trust and respect that had been built was now completely shattered.

I got the following reply:

“See, I knew you were different. That was lovely, you thinking of me and my feelings and us and our future. Why can’t we make this work? We can, you just have to trust yourself to trust me. Call me.”

It took another six weeks of ignoring and blocking her before she finally gave up. We had only been dating, if it could ever have been called that, for three weeks.

It takes true courage and bravery to finish any relationship. As my marital separation was only a week old, I understood that there may be some element of hope that we could fix it and move on. Yet I knew there was no way I could, or would, allow myself to stoop to such a level of indignity. My sense of pride has taken a pounding and is undoubtedly battered and bruised, but it is still there, standing tall and intact, however weakly. It is also getting stronger with every passing day.

All thanks to “Hope”.

“Hope” is a very strange feeling that displaces others such as “confidence”, “faith”, and “trust” and one that I have naturally gravitated towards my entire life. We are old friends, hope and I. Never have I dared to have “confidence” in my academic or sporting abilities, rather I always “hoped” that I would perform at my best as necessitated in any particular circumstance. When things had gone better than I had even dared “hope”, then I defaulted to the notion that is was merely my “good luck”, and vice versa. “Luck” has always provided me an excuse for all of life’s highs and lows and everything in between. Now I wanted to change all that. Now I wanted to control my existence.

Now I wanted to stir the stagnant pool that is my life proactively to feel like I am living again.

So that may well explain why I am now sat in only my boxer shorts in front of my computer, as the rain batters the window behind my curtains, and trying to focus on completing an online dating profile that includes a “personal statement” section. Apparently, its purpose is to allow me to describe myself in as broadly generic terms as possible in order to seem “normal” and “average” – and so maximising my appeal – whilst also trying to ensure that I am unique enough as to stand out. The logic of the concept is irrefutable and yet fantastically ridiculous.

It is also proving so challenging to the point of being quite impossible.

As a truck driver, I work most weekends and so this job commitment removes the more conventional ways of meeting women. Using a dating site makes far more sense in this new age of technology as it allows for an immediate connection without the need to wait for the weekend, or the demand of a decent chat up line. It cuts to the chase, so to speak. The site has posted a statistic that states over 28% of couples now “meet” online, so I am still happily in the minority. However, it is utterly galling to me that I should ever try to be “normal” or “average” to anyone as I have never considered myself as such.

It seems to me to be morally fraudulent. 

Online dating. It really is quite an absurd concept yet totally in concert with the modern era where people are too busy with work and life to take the time and make the effort for actually dating. Yet where is the romance of it? You will never hear a love song that refers to such sites. Can you imagine Rod Stewart singing “The Algorithm of my Heart”, or some such like?

No? Me neither.

AUTHOR BIO

After graduating with a couple of useless degrees in law, I left my Scottish homeland and wandered nomadically around the globe to experience the rich diversity of culture that the world has to offer.

On my travels, I met my Canadian wife in New Zealand, we were married in Scotland and now live in Canada with our newborn son. Although we currently call Toronto home, this is not yet a permanent arrangement and, rather alarmingly, we are perfectly happy about that…



AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

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Ward Sisters Series by Lucy Gage

Author: Lucy Gage
Title: Ward Sisters Books 1-4
Series: Ward Sisters Series
Release Date: January 12, 2015

SYNOPSIS

Back to December (Ward Sisters, #1)

Only One (Ward Sisters, #2)

Right Here Waiting (Ward Sisters, #3)

This Year’s Love (Ward Sisters, #4)

Bonus Content

Welcome to the world of the Ward Sisters, Emily, Anne and Charlotte. Get to know them, their friends and the new people who have come into their lives.

Start with Emily’s story, Back to December, where you’ll meet the oldest Ward daughter, and the movie star, Rob Deacon, who sweeps her off her feet.

Then, in Only One, you’ll get to know Emily’s bodyguard, Liam Neely, who happens to be Rob’s best friend. You’ll also meet Jenna Ackerman, Rob’s assistant and his other best friend, the woman with whom playboy Liam falls in love.

In Right Here Waiting, you’ll learn about Emily’s lifelong best friend, Meghan Miles, and meet the soldier who steals her heart, Captain Neil Murphy.

And then, in This Year’s Love, you’ll hear middle sister Annie Ward’s story of how she fell for her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh Ricker.

Additional glimpses into the lives of these characters – in the form of deleted scenes which didn’t make it into the published narrative – are included at the end of each story. For any fans of the series, these are peeks at the characters you won’t want to miss.

BUY LINKS

 

Amazon    Barnes&Noble    Kobo    iTunes


EXCERPTS/TEASERS



Back to December


Emily

looked at Rob and couldn’t read what he was thinking. She could tell

there was something on his mind, but she had no clue what it was.

“Care

to share?” she asked, curious.

“Can I kiss you?” he replied, his voice steady.

Em was stunned. She didn’t know what to say. It had been over five

years since she had been asked to be kissed. She nodded slowly, so as

not to appear too eager, though she was, in fact, dying to kiss him.

She had been looking at his mouth quite a bit these last few hours,

and it always seemed so kissable.

Rob

leaned toward her, and she met him halfway. That heady forest scent

invaded her nostrils more thoroughly now and her brain swam. He

looked at her with a sweet smile, just a little grin that said he was

looking forward to this. She met his eyes and his smile with one of

her own, though she suspected that, as soon as he’d asked, he’d known

what her answer would be by the expression on her face.

His

lips brushed against hers, gentle at first, with just a little bit of

pressure. The gesture implied respect without stifling the desire

that raced through Emily’s blood. Her skin heated and the dampness

between her thighs, which had been present since dinner, bordered on

embarrassing. How could she want someone so much from just a simple

kiss?




Only One


They walked back to the car,

hand in hand, in an unusual silence. Jenna started to step around the

car to the passenger’s side, and Liam tightened his grip on her hand

so she couldn’t let go. Her expression said she was curious as he

drew her toward him and leaned against the car hood. She let him

guide her until her body was pressed against his and their faces were

inches apart.

His heart raced again, which

Liam found odd – he hadn’t felt nervous before he kissed a girl

since junior high. Swallowing hard, he brushed the hair from her face

like he’d done earlier. Her breath hitched, and he knew she wanted

him to kiss her as much as he wanted to do it. He looked at her

mouth, then into her eyes. They leaned in at the same time, crushing

their lips together in a long-overdue kiss.

Heat rushed through his body and

his dick hardened before she even slid her tongue into his mouth. As

their tongues danced, one hand found her ass and pulled her pelvis to

his, while the other threaded into her hair, bringing her mouth

closer, and deepening the kiss. She whimpered and gripped his neck.

The kiss lasted a few minutes

and then they needed air. They leaned apart, touched foreheads, their

breath labored.

“Wow,” Jenna whispered.

“Yeah. I agree,” Liam said.

Right Here Waiting

Meghan stared back at him as intently. Finally, she said, “What’s going on here, Neil?”

“What do you mean?

“This. What’s happening between us? Am I reading you wrong? Are you not interested in me?”

Neil couldn’t let her think that. No. Never. He’d wanted her for too long to let her ever believe he wasn’t interested, even for a moment. He pulled back, stood still and looked at her. He looked at her mouth. He wanted to kiss her, but if he waited until they were alone, she might give up on him. Danny was right, he had to stop sabotaging this.

Neil threaded his hands in her sun-kissed hair. In her eyes, he saw a desire to kiss him as powerful as his own. He leaned in, pressed his lips to hers and a wave of heat washed over him. Meghan leaned into the kiss, opening her lips, and as he slid his tongue into her mouth, Neil had to use every ounce of restraint his military training had afforded him to keep it from getting indecent.

Meghan pulled away and saved Neil from himself.

This Year’s Love


“Are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded slowly and swallowed.

“Uh huh,” he muttered.

His dilated pupils said he liked

what he saw. She grinned. In two strides of his long legs, he was

right next to her and it was Annie’s turn to gasp – he towered over

her.

He looked at her, shook his

head, then he crushed her to his body, his face a breath away. She

opened her mouth and his tongue plunged inside. Unlike the other

morning, he knew this was her and not Em. Yet, he kissed her with

even more passion, stealing her air.

Before she knew what was

happening, he lifted her off the ground, wrapped her legs around his

waist and carried her to the bed. They collapsed onto the mattress,

and when his pelvis pressed into her core, they moaned in unison.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he

breathed around her lips.







AUTHOR BIO

 As a child, Lucy Gage relished time to use her imagination, whether it was playing with her siblings – dolls, cars and trucks, make believe, LEGOs – or reading a book. That still translates today, as she writes the stories bouncing through her head, or reads the work of others. Her two imaginative children play the same way she did in her youth and love to read. She considers this her greatest accomplishment to date. 

Married for the past dozen years, she and her family live in rural Maine. When not at the keyboard, she most enjoys gardening, hiking, amateur photography, the beach, dancing, crafts, ice skating, snow shoeing, boating and of course, reading.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
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Accepting Fate by Brandy L. Rivers

“Accepting Fate,” the newest book by Brandy L. Rivers, is definitely fated to be on my TBR list!

 

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Accepting Fate

SERIES – Others of Seattle: Book 3

AUTHOR – Brandy L Rivers

GENRE – Adult Paranormal Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – 2-23-2015

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – around 70ish k

PUBLISHER – Brandy L Rivers

COVER ARTIST – Brandy L Rivers

 

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Accept fate, or it destroys you…

Michael Nights hides his true nature. To protect his first love, his magic broke free, terrifying Amanda so badly she left. That day convinced him he was the monster she claimed. Horrified by the damage he could cause, he’s vowed to keep his power locked away.

Gwen Fate meets Mike at a party. One look and she’s captivated. Inherently curious, she wants to discover all of his secrets. What she learns compels her to help, whether or not he wants to embrace what he is.

Amanda deLuna has changed, but was it for the better? She arrives back in Seattle and offers Mike what he always wanted.

After finally learning to control his power, Mike will have to choose.

The life he wished for? Or his fate?

 

 

BUY & TBR LINKS

Amazon –  Barnes & Nobles –  iTunes –  Googleplay –  Kobo –  Goodreads

 

AUTHOR BIO

Brandy L Rivers is the author of the Others of Edenton and Others of Seattle series. There are more Others of Edenton and Others of Seattle books in the works. As an avid reader, Brandy has always loved writing. She became serious about it as a stay-at-home-mother. She has a file full of manuscripts she plans to edit and put out there eventually. She lives in Western Washington with her husband and three kids, where she is already working on future stories in each of the series and several other projects.

 

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE –  WEBSITE / BLOG –  FACEBOOK –  TWITTER –  GOOGLE+ –  PINTEREST –  TUMBLR –  GOODREADS

 

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Oatmeal Your Way

Everyone knows that oatmeal is good for you. It can also get a bit boring. But now, you can have oatmeal your way — delicious every day! Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, here are new recipe ideas for turning the every day oatmeal into extraordinary oatmeal.

For each recipe, start with 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, stir in 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats and a dash of salt. Reduce heat, simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and finish with one of these toppings.

Goat Cheese and Cremini

Saute 1/2 cup of sliced cremini mushrooms and add crumbled goat cheese along with 2 tablespoons of half and half and a dash of thyme. It may sound odd for breakfast food, but it’s delicious and perfect for a brunch.

Lemon-Blueberry with Mascarpone

Stir 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon curd into oatmeal. Top with 3 tablespoons of fresh blueberries, 1 teaspoon mascarpone cheese and 2 teaspoons of sliced almonds.

Chai Spice and Pear

Saute 1/2 a pear and add 1 teaspoon of honey.Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk, 1/8 teaspoon cardamon, 1/8 teaspoon of ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon of allspice.

Sunflower Seed Butter, Banana, and Chocolate

Mash 1/2 banana with 2 tablespoons of your favorite nut butter. Add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of chocolate shavings.

Got ideas of your own? I’d love to hear about your ways to dress up oatmeal.

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Kissed at Midnight by Samantha Holt

 

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Kissed at Midnight

AUTHOR – Samantha Holt

GENRE – Historical Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – 18th February

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 60,000

 

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

August Avery, a renowned civil engineer, has found himself the sole custodian of his cousin’s six month old daughter and he needs assistance—fast. He understands how to build railways, to construct bridges and to save the railway tycoons thousands of pounds. He doesn’t understand, however, how to care for a child.

When Ivy Davis turns up at his door looking for work, he believes his prayers are answered. If only the exotic, exuberant young woman did not prove to be such a distraction from his busy workload.

Unsure if she is even up to the task of looking after a baby, Ivy finds herself swayed by the handsome and slightly desperate August into working for him. With her singing career failing before it even started and no other talents, she decides looking after a young child cannot be so hard, surely?

But the child may turn out to be the least of her worries. Her handsome, brooding master seems to keep her awake more than the baby. Add to that her desire to achieve her dreams of singing on stage and the machinations of the indomitable Mrs. Pepperwhite who sees her as competition for August’s hand, Ivy finds this simple job growing harder by the day—as does her desire for her master…

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US –  AMAZON CA –  AMAZON UK

 

EXCERPT

Ivy darted a look at the door as she eased herself down onto the bed beside her master. The housekeeper could have no reason to come upstairs but if she caught her in the master’s room—on his bed no less—she could be in quite a pickle.

“Mr.—” A snore escaped his mouth and she shook her head. “Oh dear, Mr. Avery. You are the one who is in a pickle I think. Or more likely utterly foxed.”

Leaning over, she went to grasp his hand to study the damage and froze when he grunted and rolled towards her. His arm landed near her backside on the bed and his head was almost on her lap. Ivy attempted to take his hurt hand from behind her but he twined it out of her grasp and released a low mumble. She gasped when his hand curved around her backside. She wore only her chemise and her drawers. Mr. Avery’s warm hand fairly burned through the cotton, feeling as though she would wake up with a handprint on her bottom.

She twisted to yank his hand away, only to end up with his head pressed against the side of her breast. Mr Avery nuzzled his face against her breast and she stilled. She should draw away, press him back, but for some reason her body refused to cooperate. Hands to his head, she found his hair to be soft and thick.

Oh dear. One part of her body seemed to be working—her fingers. They twined into the softness, so at odds with the rest of him, from his stern features to what she suspected was a body that rivalled the statues of London. He released a muffled groan against her and she heard him inhale deeply.

“Smell so good,” he murmured.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. She was going to lose her job not two days into it if she was not careful. Her nipples were tight and hard. Lush heat rolled through her as he burrowed closer and his hand splayed across her back to hold her to him.

A creak from somewhere else in the house startled her into action. She jerked back and clasped his wrist to force his hand back. At least in his foxed state he wasn’t particularly strong. She had no doubt if he really wanted to keep hold of her, he could, but had he been sober, she was positive he’d want nothing to do with the governess.  A man like Mr Avery likely enjoyed the company of women less… interesting-looking than her. Blonde ones with soft features and a delicate manner.

He rolled onto his back, a grin cracking his face. His eyes were at half-mast and she wasn’t sure what amused him. Recalling her original reason for being on the bed, she grasped his hand and inspected the cut. It had already stopped bleeding so couldn’t be deep. Ivy rolled her eyes to herself. All this for a tiny scratch. At least he was so foxed he would never recall any of it.

AUTHOR BIO

Samantha lives in a small village in England with her gorgeous twin girls. She enjoys writing historical romance involving chivalrous knights, hot highlanders and cravatted men, but sometimes gets lured away by bad boy bikers, soldiers and other heroic modern men.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG

FACEBOOK – JOIN HER STREET TEAM

 

 

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

Signed picture of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy

2 x Kindle copies of Once Upon a Rake

Set of signed swag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

It’s easy to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. I’m holding a review prize for readers of “Believe,” a paranormal romance.

Just download your copy, which is marked down to .99 for the promotion, read and review. Once I hit 50 reviews on Amazon, I’ll choose at random a reviewer to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Simply leave the URL of your review on the pinned post of my Facebook page.

This special promotion will also apply to readers who have previously left a review of “Believe.”

And now, a little about “Believe,” the first novella in the Chasing Shadows Series:

Nate survived countless attacks on his Marine platoon while in Afghanistan, but one undying thought kept him safe — the knowledge that Ella was waiting for him.

Ella marked off the days until Nate’s return by writing letters to him, knowing that once he was safely home, they would fulfill their promise to live each day to its fullest.

Theirs was a love that would endure separation…even in the wake of a tragic accident.

Although now apart, Ella is given reason to believe in ghosts when Nate’s presence visits her and remains her lover. But when another man enters her life, Ella struggles to give herself over to a new love and maintain her bond to Nate’s ghost.

A romantic ghost story and love triangle tied to one woman’s need to…Believe.

 

 

The post Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! appeared first on Mia Fox Books.

Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden

I’m so pleased to host Sanctuary by Pauline Creedon on my blog today. Read on for all the details.

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Sanctuary

SERIES – Sanctuary

AUTHOR – Pauline Creeden

GENRE – YA Thriller/Science Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE – Sept 2013

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 268 pages

PUBLISHER – AltWit Press

COVER ARTIST – Najla Qamber









BOOK SYNOPSIS

First Place Winner of 2014 Gold Award Readers Favorite YA Horror

First Place Winner of 2013 Dante Rosetti Award in YA Fiction

What if the Biblical End Times unfolded in a way no one told you about and the rapture didn’t happen before the tribulation began…



“Makes you afraid of the end times again.” – D. M. Dutcher for Sword Cross Rocket



“Sanctuary crosses boundaries and borders and incorporates elements of all kinds of action and intrigue, from thriller-like adventure to a post-apocalyptic tale of life after aliens invade. Thus it will delight readers seeking something truly different, while disappointing those who anticipated a shallow, one-dimensional subject and story line.” – Midwest Book Review

Left Behind for the Hunger Games generation

In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meet The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…



When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?





BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK – AMAZON PAPERBACK – BARNES & NOBLES PAPERBACK –  GOODREADS



EXCERPT

When Jennie reached the back door, she saw them. Four large dog-like creatures with pinched faces like bulldogs and lion-like manes. They snarled, and one of them leapt at the window on the top half of the door when it saw her.

Jennie jumped back and fell hard on the cold tile floor. The bottle of painkiller bounced across the kitchen tiles. The creature slammed against the window a second time, cracking it. She blinked hard. Her heart sunk, and the hairs on her arms stood on end. A horrendous gargling howl rent the air, causing a shiver down her spine. She held her breath and waited for the creature to slam into the door again.

“What on earth?” she whispered to herself.

When the third attempt never came, she scrambled toward the door. Blinking hard, she used the door knob to help herself stand. Out the cracked window, her mother was still out of sight, but the last of the dogs headed across the field behind her backyard.

“MOM?” Jennie called out.

The rumbling faded, and the vibrations in her chest receded with the dogs. She pulled open the door and rushed onto their back deck. “Mom, where are you?”

When she reached the banister, she looked over the side. Her mom lay sprawled with one hand on the lattice. Blood gushed from Mom’s leg and her opposite arm. Jennie’s ears rang and flooded with every beat of her heart.

Jennie didn’t know how she got to the second floor of her house, but she found herself shaking her sleeping father. How had he slept through the rumbling? “Outside, it’s Mom…”

Her father leapt from the bed. Mickey, her little brother, lay asleep and undisturbed. Dad ran down the stairs and outside in his flannel pajama bottoms and white t-shirt. He scooped Mom up to his chest and carried her inside. Blood stained his shirt in crimson.

“Jennie, call 911!” Her father had said it at least three times before it finally registered in her brain.

She pulled the cell phone from her pocket, but it refused to connect. With a groan, she grabbed the cordless from the wall receiver, glad her heart stopped pounding in her head so she could hear.

“All operators are busy at this time,” a mechanical voice deadpanned, “Please stay on the line, and the next available operator will take your call.”

“They have me on hold, Dad. Should I hang up and try again?” She held the phone in both hands away from her face.

“No, just stay on the line.” Her father lifted the shredded jeans from Mom’s leg. “It looks like a shark bite. What on earth happened?”

Jennie took in the damage through tear-filled eyes. A huge chunk was taken from her mother’s calf, exposing the fibrous tendons that covered the bone in her leg. A bloodstain grew on the beige couch. Was she going to die? Panic rose up.

“What happened, Jennie?”

“I…I…They looked like lions, or dogs, or something. The rumbling shook the whole house…I tried to go outside to get Mom, but—” A sob blocked her throat.

Her father grabbed a throw pillow and held it against the leg. Mom’s exposed forearm laid across her chest in much the same condition as her calf.

“Grab me the duct tape.”

Jennie suddenly remembered the phone, put it back to her ear, and headed to the hall closet. She reached for the shelf above the jackets and grabbed the junk basket next to the toolbox.

“Please stay on the line. An operator will be with you shortly.”

She shoved the phone in the crook of her neck and fished through the box. Half the contents dropped around her feet. Who cares? When her fingers wrapped around the silver duct tape, a short-lived relief sent prickles down her arms. But the urgency gripped her chest in less than a heart beat, and she threw the junk basket on the ground with the rest of the items.

“Hurry, Jennie!” her father called from the living room. “And turn on the TV. Maybe they’ll have something about what’s going on.”

She handed her father the tape and turned toward the TV. The mechanical voice on the phone came through again, followed by more easy listening.

When she clicked on the TV, the shouting and wailing began before the picture warmed up on the screen. A sideways picture of New York City broke through, with the shaky voice of the newscaster voicing over.

“What we are watching now – I can’t believe it – is live footage of Times Square,” the newscaster’s voice paused for a deep breath. “We’ve lost our man on the scene and his camera man to what appears to be some kind of new alien creature. Just a short half-hour ago, the doors to the ship that hovered above Central Park opened and these dog-like creatures flooded out.”

Jennie couldn’t pull her eyes from the screen. She straightened and dropped the phone on the hardwood. The battery popped out and skidded across the floor.

AUTHOR BIO





Pauline Creeden is an award-winning author, horse trainer, and overall book ninja. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.



Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Gold Award for First Place YA Horror Novel.





AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads –  Pinterest

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