D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 80

The Tremayne Family Romances by @AJStewartWriter #romance

Title: The Tremayne Family Romances:

Asking For Trouble

Here Comes Trouble

The Trouble with Nathan

Author: Anna J. Stewart

Genre: Contemporary Romance

~ Synopsis ~

Asking for Trouble

Morgan Tremayne has a heart of gold, but to keep her children’s charity afloat she’s had to resort to some less than legal means: donations from a notorious cat burglar who targets the wealthy. It’s only a matter of time before Morgan’s criminal connection blows up in her face–especially since her undeniable attraction to the man heading the investigation keeps putting her in tricky situations.

Former police detective-turned-investigator for the D.A. Gage Juliano has two goals: salvaging his career and nabbing Lantano Valley’s present-day Robin Hood. But when he meets a beautiful, curvaceous woman who’s more interested in helping others than amassing a fortune like the rest of the town’s residents, Gage finds his desires pulled in an unexpected direction…

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo

Here Comes Trouble

Former beauty queen Sheila Tremayne looks dainty, but she’s tougher than she seems. The hard-as-nails business woman is determined to bring down corruption among Lantano Valley’s rich and powerful. Her latest scheme to get technology tycoon Chadwick Oliver is going perfectly until a distraction arrives in the form of Malcolm–the man who broke her heart and who happens to be Chadwick’s son…

Malcolm spent five long years away after his father publicly blamed him for some shady business dealings. Now he’s back to exact some revenge. Reconnecting with Sheila was never part of the plan, but the second he sees her, there’s no way he can resist…

Sheila and Malcolm quickly fall into the sizzling passion between them, but Malcolm has no intention of staying once he’s finished with his father–even if leaving Sheila again might be more than he can bear.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ iTunes

The Trouble with Nathan

Nathan Tremayne shares a dangerous secret with his father, Jackson, and sister Sheila. Together they are Nemesis, the infamous cat burglar who targets the wealthy. But when Jackson is framed for stealing the priceless Crown of Serpia, the whole family is at risk.

Nathan isn’t about to let his father go down for a crime he didn’t commit, but finding the real culprit won’t be easy with Laurel Scott, the nosy, pushy, drop-dead gorgeous insurance investigator following his every move.

But Laurel has secrets of her own. Posing as an insurance investigator was part of her own plan for the Tremaynes. As their attraction heats up, and the truth comes out, will this pair of thieves steal each other’s hearts?

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ iTunes

~ Excerpt ~

HERE COMES TROUBLE

“Dammit, Malcolm.” Sheila resisted the urge to press trembling fingers against her fluttering chest. He leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, a knowing gleam in his eyes. He’d thrown off her plans twice in one night. Two times too many. “I thought you’d gone downstairs.”

“Nope.”

Nothing more, just one word. Nothing on his face, just passivity. Once upon a time she’d have been able to read his expression, identify his moods, but not now. Not when it mattered.

“So, did you?”

“Did I what?” Sheila kicked out a leg and tapped restless fingers against her hip.

“Find what you were looking for?”

Find what she was—“Oh, my bracelet you mean?” Shit. “No, actually. I guess I was wrong—”

“You mean it wasn’t in the vault?”

“The vault?” She blinked, scrambling for an escape route out of the conversation. A distraction. Anything . . .

His hand whipped up and caught her chin, turning her face to his as he stepped closer, amber eyes hot as he stared into her surprised gaze. His breath caressed her skin, hot, intense. “No lies, Sheila. I’ve had enough to last me a lifetime.”

Sheila swallowed and attempted to ignore the heat moving through her body where he touched her, trying not to remember how it felt to be locked in his arms, to be the center of his attention, his world. Beneath his piercing gaze, the insistence she couldn’t avoid, there was also the shadow of the man she’d known, but it was the man who had walked away from her as easily as if she’d been a one-night stand.

“Then don’t ask,” she whispered as she reached up and wrapped her hand around his wrist, willing him to pretend he hadn’t seen, that he didn’t know where she’d been.

“Will it hurt him?”

His question caught her off guard but she managed to quell the unease roiling inside her as she found her way out. Mutual hatred and distrust of his father could very well forge a bond she’d be unable to break. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t use it. Or him. “Yes.”

~ About the Author ~

USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart can’t remember a time she didn’t have a book in her hands or a story in her head. A geek at heart, Anna writes romances featuring strong, independent heroines for Berkley (The Tremayne Family Romances), Harlequin Heartwarming (The Butterfly Harbor series) and will soon add romantic suspense to her booklist with the BONDED trilogy from Harlequin Romantic Suspense. RT Book reviews says Anna’s romances are “refreshingly unique, quietly humorous, and profoundly moving” and NYTimes bestselling author Brenda Novak says “The talented Anna J Stewart delivers every time!” Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious SUPERNATURAL, STAR TREK, and SHERLOCK addiction and tolerates an overly affectionate cat named Snickers (or perhaps it’s Snickers who tolerates her).

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

THE LANTANO VALLEY FAMILY COOKBOOK features more than 50 family favorite recipes contributed by The Butterfly Babes, Anna’s dedicated street team. This cookbook has a little something for everyone, from simple, quick meals to family pot luck winners, warm, comfy dinners, to lots of sweet treats. 

Inspired by The Tremayne Family romances (ASKING FOR TROUBLE, HERE COMES TROUBLE, and THE TROUBLE WITH NATHAN) as well as the Lantano Valley sweet novella series, this special offering will only be available to those who purchase THE TROUBLE WITH NATHAN before April 30th. This cookbook will not be available for purchase.

To claim your copy, simply email proof of purchase (a copy of your e-receipt is perfect) for THE TROUBLE WITH NATHAN to Anna at  authorajstewart@gmail.com  and she’ll email you the file (PDF, compatible with all e-readers) within 48 hours. It’s as easy as that!

~ Giveaway ~

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Is it okay to give a book a bad review just because you didn’t like the end? #bookreview #MondayBlogs

This topic is near and dear to my heart. My novel, Life Discarded, has a somewhat unconventional happy ending. Yes, I said happy because no matter what anyone else says, I think the ending was the best possible outcome for Morgan. Apparently it doesn’t matter that I intended Morgan to have a happy ending, many reviewers hated the ending and gave the book a rating which corresponded with their ‘dislike’ of the conclusion. This lead me to the question: Is it okay to give a book a bad review just because you didn’t like the ending?

Initially I wanted to answer this question with a loud ‘F*ck no!’, but then I got to thinking about it and I mellowed (only a bit because I’m never truly mellow). I think it’s important to first of all look at why you didn’t like the ending. Was the book classified as suspense but the ending was a dud that didn’t get your heart pounding in anticipation? Maybe it was a mystery but whodunit was obvious from the very beginning? In those cases, no matter how much it pains me to say this, I’m going to have to agree that it’s perfectly acceptable to give the book a bad review. Not only was the ending a disappointment, but the reader had a right to expect more.

But what about personal feelings? What if you didn’t like the ending because it angered you? The ending wasn’t what you expected? Was violent? I could go on with the questions, but you get what I mean. On the one hand, I want to say – well, shout really – that basing your rating on only the ending is unfair. What about the rest of the book? Was it well-written? Well thought out? Contained character growth? Reluctantly, I have to admit that a review and rating are based on personal feelings. If the conclusion left the reader with a bad taste in her mouth, then *shiver* she has the right to give the book a bad review.

And thus I have to admit that it is indeed okay to give a book a bad review just because you didn’t like the conclusion. Man, that was painful to admit. Instead of wallowing on this, I’ve looked at some of the good reviews I received of Life Discarded and noticed many readers asked what happens in the next chapter of Morgan’s life. Hmmm… maybe if I write a sequel I can get rid of those pesky complaints about a bad ending? No promises but I do have an idea and have even commandeered one of my precious journals for notes on the possible sequel.

 

Release Blitz ~ When Lucifer Met Calamity by D. Alyce Domain #romance #comedy

Contemporary Romance/Comedy

Date Published: April 18, 2016

Lucifer – At eighteen months out of law school, six months on the job, and four weeks before his BAR exam, Luce has arrived. He’d been playing by other people’s rules all his life and now, poised on the brink of success, he will not let anyone stand in his way…especially not the junior-partner jerk at the office giving him and his assistant a hard time. On his way to give the creep a piece of his mind, he bumps into the infamous ‘Calamity Jones’…

Calamity – is tired of enduring her boss’s unwanted sexual innuendos.  When his fingers start to roam, Calam decides she’s had enough. It’s time to fight fire with fire.  So she devises an ingenious, if risky plan, to get Perkins off her back, keep her Job, and strike a blow for his numerous other victims around the office…only, things don’t go exactly as planned.

All Hell Breaks ‘Luce’ – After finding the loopy ingénue jack-knifed atop the archival files, Lucifer knows something is up. Calamity knows the jig is up. So, she comes clean. Turns out, they both have the same problem…Perkins. But, sparks fly when they decide to team up to bring down the boss. The Hitch? He’s a straight arrow…She’s a loose cannon. Can they work together to achieve a common goal?  Or will they both lose in the end?




 ~ EXCERPT ~

Calam awoke with a headache and a confused void where her mind used to be.  Propping herself up on her elbows, she squinted in the morning light as she eyeballed her surroundings.  After a full minute and several pan-scans of the room Calam hunched her shoulders.  She had no clue where she was.  Geez, was it possible to be hung-over without actually getting drunk the night before?  The question was second only to her wild curiosity as to whose bed she occupied.  Good Lawd, had she been roofied or what?  A quick glance to her chest.  Nope.  She still had her clothes on…or someone’s clothes, anyway.  Something furry moved against her leg, and she jerked away and nearly screamed…until she heard an annoyed meow.  Sasha stretched in a deep yawn at the foot of the bed.

Sasha…Luce’s pervy pet.  Her mind cranked back up like a long-dead stalled car.  She was in Luce’s apartment, in his palatial king-sized bed, wearing his spice-scented t-shirt that dangled down around her knees when she eventually stumbled from the bed onto her feet.  Luce, ever the gentleman, slept on the convertible couch in the front room.  Had Calamity been in the exact same position but under different circumstances, she’d be ecstatic.  But, her impending arrest cast a wee pall over her euphoria.  Still, she preened with wicked satisfaction at having spent the night in his bedroom…Satan’s Lair, she dubbed, as an impish smile twitched at her lips.  Hmm, might as well have a quick lookie-loo…the chance may not arise again, she reasoned.

Luce’s private domain dripped with personality as compared to the more Spartan décor of the rest of his apartment.  Several framed family snapshots littered the nightstand along with a cordless telephone and touch sensitive lamp, which shockingly emitted a warm crimson glow when she brushed it with her fingertips.  Two impressionistic prints adorned the walls.  Each depicted vague anthropomorphic forms cavorting about against a pastel-blended background.  They reminded her of something naughty she once glimpsed when she’d accidentally flipped to the Spice Channel on her pay-per-view.

The corner off the edge of the bed housed a dark mahogany desk topped with a matching bookshelf that ran up the wall.  The books she discovered beneath one of the pillows and under the edge of the bed outed Luce as a late-night reader.  Hmm, The Count of Monte Cristo.  He likes the classics.  Her eyes bucked as she skimmed across Master: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo riding shotgun next to Dumas’ version.  Likewise, she spied Phantom of the Opera paired with its erotic twin.  Skimming further…Pride, Prejudice and Zombies?  The titles were endless.  Fascinated, she pulled Robin Hood: Unmasqued After Dark from the shelf and flipped through the pages.  Good night!  Is this what he reads?!  Classic literature corrupted as modern erotica and horror tales?  The thought curled her toes.  So, Lucifer wasn’t quite the choir boy he pretended.  There might be hope for them yet, she mused. 

         Shaking off her fantasies, Calamity put the book down and ran a hand through her hair and grimaced.  It had, of course, gone into kinky snarls during the night.  There wasn’t time for a wash and press even if she had a hot-comb or flat iron with her, which she didn’t.  She’d have to French braid it if she didn’t want to mirror Leo the Lion when she took her mug shot.  First things first, though.  She padded to the living room on bare feet to sneak a peek at the object of her affection.

         He lay atop the covers, one solid sinewy arm flung out over the empty side of the bed while the other was bent at the elbow and pillowed behind his head.  His torso was a study in Italian sculpture.  Smooth tawny-gold chest as broad as the Atlantic tapered downward into a rippling six-pack of muscles.  Her gaze wondered lower.  The suggestive spiral of coarse dark hairs disappeared beneath the drawstring pajama bottoms.  Oy!  Calam stepped closer so that she cast the sunlight from the window in a shadow over his face.  Lashes like paint-brush bristles fluttered open.  Curious inky slits regarded her…with groggy interest, she noted.

         “Yeah, I’m not a morning person either.”  She admitted.

         “Hmmm, come ‘ere.”

         Before she could respond, his hand shot out from behind his head and Calamity found herself sprawled torso to torso atop him, enveloped in a loose embrace.  She popped herself up on her elbows to spy two intense pools of ink impaling her…unable to resist, her gaze drifted downward to his mouth.

         “Did you sleep well?”  His voice reverberated deeper than his usual baritone.          

         Lusty thoughts a’jumble in her brain, Calamity could only nod.  Have mercy!  He might think her a presumptuous tart but at the moment, the sensual lure of his lips was too powerful to ignore.  Calam shimmed up to close the distance between them before she lost her nerve.  His bottomless-pit black orbs stalked her, seeming to guess her intent…but he made no move to help or to hinder.  So she brushed his mouth with a light, lingering kiss, giving him the choice to put an end to it if he wanted.

         A deep rumble in his chest vibrated through her, stoking the fires of her confidence.  She smiled against his mouth when she felt his lips part, inviting her in.  Encouraged, Calam deepened the kiss.  For the sake of balance, she flattened her palms on either side of his head.

         Meanwhile, Luce lost a hand in the kinky tufts of her hair.  The other roamed up and down her t-shirted back.  Heaven help him, but her small warm form felt sinful atop his body.  The knowledge that she wore his shirt, and judging by her simmering body heat, nothing underneath, intrigued him all the more.  The soft feminine feel of her ignited his lower regions and sent them into a slow burn.  He derived an almost perverse pleasure from letting her set the pace of their interlude.  That this woman, whom he out-weighed by at least a hundred pounds, could produce such a quicksilver reaction in him with a chaste little smooch amazed him, hooked him, cementing his fascination with her.

         She caught his lower lip between her teeth, teasing at first but then with purpose, she inched away…upward, pulling him along for the ride.  He knew what she wanted and complied, rising to follow her into a sitting position.  Her rear slid snugly into his lap.  Her bent knees rested on either side of his hips, while her hands crept around his neck.

         Unable to curb his appetite for her, Luce slid his hands down to her compact yet delectably curved bottom, tilting her closer, molding her against his body.  He wanted her to feel him…see her expression, gauge her reaction to the telltale––He felt her tense, and chuckled as she broke off their playful-turned-explosive kiss.  She squirmed against his blossoming ‘affection’.  Ah hell…he grimaced as a pleasurable pain ripped through him.

         “Shorty, uh…” He pulled back a ways.  Inky black eyes met her chocolate brown orbs… checking for approval or revulsion.  She broke off first.

         “I only meant to kiss you.”  She explained in a squeaky voice strangled with… embarrassment, he guessed.  “I’m…eh, sorry.”

         “Don’t be.  I’m not.”  Luce grinned despite himself.  Damn, did the woman know how adorable she was?  “Although, it’s probably better if you get up now.”

         “Oh!  Of course, my bad.”  She clumsily disentangled herself from him and got off the bed.  He watched her meander over to the kitchen, fidgety, with his t-shirt dangling teasingly off one shoulder.

         “I could fix us something to eat while you take a shower?  I mean, if you don’t mind my invading your kitchen.”

         Luce stood, heading toward the bedroom.  A cold shower, he thought.  “Yeah, sure, make yourself at home.”






~ About the Author ~

D. Alyce Domain. Is a long-time lover of creative fiction.  She learned to read with Dr. Seuss, grew up reading Sweet Valley High, James Howe, and Lois Duncan, and graduated to category romance with Harlequin and Silhouette in her teen years.  Ms. Domain started out writing fan-fiction after her favorite fictional characters met with death and cancellation on network television.  Inspired by the entertaining, multi-layered storylines created by so many female romance, young adult and television writers, she began to experiment with her own characters.  Coupled with her own unique brand of genre-bending romantic fiction, Ms. Domain was able to create a whole new world within the pages of her books.

Ms. Domain was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the youngest daughter of Charles and Eunice Domain.  She has one older sister.  She earned a BS in Biochemistry and a MS in Biomedical Sciences.  She worked in Patient-Based Biological Research before switching careers and opening her own fashion boutique, The Aesthetic Domain.  In addition to fashion apparel and accessories, she sells her own original jewelry creations and runs the Boutique & Blog website, which is based in Houston, Texas.  Ms. Domain also has avid interests in inspirational music, art/entertainment, and history.




Contact Links



Author Website/Blog


Facebook Page


Pinterest


Boutique & Blog Site


Facebook Page





Purchase Links



Amazon (eBook & inPrint)


Barnes and Noble (eBook)


Apple iBook (eBook)


Kobo (eBook)


Smashwords (eBook)


Createspace
 
 

Cover reveal ~ Two Brothers, One Redhead, and a Stolen Giraffe by @theshyauthor #yacontemporary #giveaway

Today we are excited to share the cover reveal of Two Brothers, One Redhead, and a Stolen Giraffe by Sarah Mandell. It’s a quirky coming-of-age story about the complications of love, loss, and new-found independence. It releases in May 2016.

About the Book:

The McElroy brothers find trouble easily. Dylan plunges headfirst into it, while Daniel cleans up behind him. That’s the way it’s always been, ever since their mother left them to be bounced around the foster system, causing trouble wherever they went. The soon-to-be euthanized giraffe they just stole from the Northside Animal Park may be their biggest predicament yet, in more ways than one, but there’s no undoing what’s been done.

Lost in Nebraska without a plan, clueless how to care for the ornery old beast in the back of the trailer, the well-meaning brothers stop to rest at an abandoned-looking barn. A pretty redhead with a snappy temperament and a shotgun discovers the boys and their sixteen-foot stowaway. Her name is Josephine, she lives on this farm with her father who is spoken of, but never seen, and her root cellar has more locks than a bank vault. She’s got a way with animals and plenty of secrets, not to mention the interest of two brothers who swore they’d never let some girl come between them.

 

Goodreads

 

About the Author:


Sarah Mandell is a professionally trained artist with a background in commercial interior design. She’s also the brains and busy hands behind a thriving indie craft business called Once Again Sam in Greenville, SC. Even with an ever-expanding collection of creative outlets, she’s truly the happiest when she’s writing. Two Brothers, One Redhead, and a Stolen Giraffe is Sarah’s second novel. Her debut novel was Celia on the Run (Untreed Reads, 2012).

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
 
Newsletter Signup
****
** 

GIVEAWAY:

 

One (1) winner will receive a laser engraved giraffe necklace (in the color of choice as shown in the photo) and signed copy of the book (when it comes out)
One (1) winner will receive a $15 gift card
All prizes are open worldwide.
Ends May 5th
Prizing is provided by the author. You must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 18. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

 

 

What the heck is a clean read anyway?

I thought I knew what a clean read was and, realizing that the majority of cozy mysteries are clean reads, I ‘cleaned’ up my latest release. No swearing and no sex is to be found in Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker. That’s what a clean read is, right? Um, I guess not. I had arranged two blog tours with tour companies who promote clean reads and they both backed out of the tours when they saw this cover:

My husband designed the cover – based on my ideas – and I was freaking proud of him. (See? I can use clean language.) It looks super cool – mysterious (is that blood dripping from a cupcake?) and a bit sexy. Apparently, that’s the problem. It’s too sexy. Huh? It’s a drawing of a pole dancer not a naked person. Guess I don’t have a clue what ‘clean’ means after all.

I googled ‘clean read’ to figure out where I’m going wrong because I’m definitely going wrong somewhere if two blog tour operators refuse to work with me. I discovered there is no one definition of ‘clean read’, although most agree with the following parameters: no sexually explicit scenes, no graphically violent descriptions, and no streams of profanity.

Let’s start with the easy stuff first: violence and profanity or, rather, the lack there of.

No streams of profanity. Having sisters who are strictly anti-swearing, I’ve taken this to mean no naughty words whatsoever. It makes writing sometimes difficult. I’m always trying to come up with ways for characters to swear without using dirty words. This leads me to write strange sayings like ‘Holy Cows of India’. But I’m down with it. At least for my cozy mysteries. My other books could be a lesson on how to use profanity. That’s me – a potty mouth.

No graphically violent descriptions. Normally, I don’t have any issue with this one. Although I was a military police officer and have seen my share of blood and gore, I don’t find it necessary. In fact, I’ve even written some complaints to magazines like Newsweek for putting bloody pictures on the cover. But this one worries me for my next book. The next book in the Death by Cupcake series contains a bloody scene and it’s the first chapter in the book. After hemming and hawing about what to do – should I just delete the scene? – I’ve decided to include a warning in the description to make sure I don’t offend anyone.

Sexually explicit scenes. Ah ha! The heart of the issue. Here’s the problem: who defines what is sexually explicit? To me sexually explicit means anything that’s more than fade to black and by fade to black I mean kissing can get hot and including touching in the naughty areas but when the underwear starts to come off, the scene fades. And there can definitely be references to the actual act of sex, in my humble opinion.

But where do others draw the line? Because that’s the issue, isn’t it? Personally, I don’t care if a book I’m reading is clean. I’ll read anything from a sweet read (although if kissing is deemed as ‘hot’ I’m probably going to find the book too tame) to erotica and everything in between. Once again, my solution is to include a disclaimer after the synopsis of the book.

Pff… it’s hard work trying not to offend people.

What does everyone else think is a clean read? I’d love to hear your thoughts because – as you can see – I’m a bit dazed and confused over the issue.

Week Blitz ~ Withering Hope by @laylahagen

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: January 18, 2015

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

This is a full-length, STANDALONE romance.

Aimee’s wedding is supposed to turn out perfect. Her dress, her fiancé and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect.

But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

With no way to reach civilisation, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts.

As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest.

Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.

Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.




~ Excerpt ~

“Just stay with for a little while, please. I need you so much, Aimee.” The sound of my name from his mouth awakens something in me that has me writhing in a blazing torture. It’s doing things to me it shouldn’t do.

“Shh, okay. I’ll stay. I know it helps having someone.”

“Not someone. You. You make the memories bearable, the present better. You have an unbelievably strong will to keep going, even if you don’t know where you’re heading, hoping you’ll find something worthy at the end of the road. You have an inherent ability to pick up the good on the way—those that give you strength, the happy things, like your poems—and you go on. You pass that strength onto others, even if it costs you sleep and peace.

“I used to hate waking up every morning. Now I look forward to every day, even though we’re stuck in this place. Because it means one more day with you.” He caresses my lips with his thumb. I open my mouth, but he shakes his head. “Don’t say anything, please.”

For a long moment, we are silent, our gazes locked. I breathe in his hot breaths, tension crackling in the short distance between our lips. Then he pulls me into a kiss. The touch of his lips on mine electrifies me, shimmer after shimmer coursing through my nerve endings. His tongue takes mine in a primal claim. Icy shivers splinter my skin, and at the same time, fire awakens deep within me. I’ve never been kissed like this. Ferociously, with absolute, desperate need. I try to temper the heated emotions building inside me. I try to remember it’s wrong. But that fleeting thought is drowned by the heat igniting his lips and hands, and I surrender. Tristan deepens the kiss until I’m out of breath. I become aware of his hard chest muscles, of every line and every ridge, as my hands roam wildly with a greed I don’t recognize. His hands graze my body, traveling from my back to my thighs, spreading the fire in my center; I’m convinced it will consume me. With a jolt, he pulls me even closer to him, so I’m all but straddling him. His fingers fumble with my hair, as his blessed mouth cradles mine, coaxing a whimper from me.

~ My Review ~
Check out my review on Goodreads



~ About the Author ~

Welcome! My name is Layla Hagen and I am a Contemporary Romance author.

I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots of it

Excerpt of Checkmate, a Harry Starke Novel, by @bcwhoward #mystery #giveaway

Title: Checkmate

Author: Blair Howard

Published: February 16, 2016

Genre: Mystery

~ Synopsis ~

Checkmate is the fourth standalone novel in the Harry Starke series of mysteries.

Angela Hartwell lay dead in the shallow waters beside the golf course. There was not a mark on her, yet she had been strangled. How could that be?

Once again, it’s up to Harry Starke to find out. The investigation takes him into a world he’s very familiar with, a world of affluence, privilege, and corruption.

To solve the mystery, he must deal with three murders, a beautiful used car dealer, her lovely twin sisters, and a crooked banker.  Not to mention Burke and Hare, two crazy repo men who will stop at nothing to protect their employer’s interests. There’s also the matter of an ingenious, sadistic killer. But nothing is ever quite what it seems….

Harry Starke is a hard-boiled private detective, an ex-cop, a tough guy from the right side of the tracks with finely tuned senses, good instincts, and friends in high places. He’s single, successful, well educated, and yes, he will hurt you if he needs to.

Amazon

~ Excerpt ~

She walked around the desk, sat down, reached over and punched a number into the intercom, “Max. If you wouldn’t mind. Please come in here.”

A few seconds later, the door opened and in walked what could only be described as the Terminator. Max Tully was about as tall as me, but there the similarity ended. He must have weighed at least 250 pounds, but his body fat was probably less than five percent. He was a body builder, a powerhouse, probably on steroids. He was so muscled his arms wouldn’t hang by his sides.

“Mr. Starke is leaving now, Max,” Ruth said. “Please show him out.”

I stayed where I was. “I have a few more questions, if you don’t mind,” I said, reasonably.

“I do mind. Max?”

He took a step toward me. “You heard the lady,”

“Back off, Fatso,” I said, even more reasonably than before, so I thought, as I got to my feet and turned to face him. “Fatso,” probably wasn’t what I should have called him, but I learned a long time ago that the best way to handle a tough guy was to throw him off his game before he got started. Anyway, he went for it. He growled, and took another step forward. I took a step backward.

“I said, back off.”

He grinned, exposing a set of white but crooked teeth, and raised his right hand to grab my shoulder. That’s the trouble with big strong guys like him. They think their size and strength are all they need. This one, by the self-satisfied look on his face also thought he was better than me.

Fat chance, Blutto.

He didn’t even see it coming. I grabbed two of his outstretched fingers—the pinky and the one next to it—and bent them back. He howled in pain. His knees bent. His arm crooked upward toward his shoulder. His eyes closed. His head went back. Ruth sat staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

“Down, boy,” I said, as I slowly forced him to his knees. I sighed and shook my head as I increased the pressure until he was down on his back.

“All you had to do was ask nicely, and I would have left,” I said quietly. “You didn’t need to bring in the heavy—and that’s all he is, Ruth: heavy.”

I pulled on Max’s fingers and he rose into sitting position. I bent down, put my mouth close to his ear.

“Max, I’ll say this just once, so listen up. I’m going to let you go now. When I do, you’ll stand up and go back to whatever hole in the wall you crawled out of. If you don’t—if you decide you think you can ambush me—I’ll blow away one of your kneecaps. I’ll put you on sticks for the rest of your days. Understand?”

He nodded. He was in too much pain to even speak. I let him go and stepped back, and pushed my jacket back to expose the grip of the MP9 under my left arm. He got up and staggered out of the office, his right hand clasped in his left, close to his chest.

~ About the Author ~

Blair Howard is from a small town in England, near Stratford-upon-Avon, on the edge of the English Cotswolds. He is Kentucky Colonel, an honor bestowed upon him in 2008 by the then Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Steven L. Beshear. Until 2015, he wrote sweeping historical epics, and is the author of five historical novels. In July of 2015 he decided to try his hand at writing mystery novels, thus we have Harry Starke. The first in the series, Harry Starke, was released in mid-September 2015. The second novel, Two for the Money, was released October 19 the same year, Hill House, in mid-December 2015, and Checkmate in February 2016, and there are more to come.

Blair is the author of more than 40 books and more than 4,500 magazine, newspaper, and web articles. His work has appeared in many national and international publications, including Delta’s Sky Magazine, PHOTOgraphic magazine, The Mail on Sunday, The Walking Magazine, Petersen’s Hunting Magazine, The Boston Herald, The Detroit Free-Press, The Anchorage Times and many more.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Blog ~ Amazon Author Page

~ Giveaway ~

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Things I did in 2015 which were somewhat unexpected #travel #LOL

The hubby has complained that my blog posts are too often about writing. He was nice about it and all, but I have to admit that he does have a point (and yes that was painful). I don’t like being serious. In fact, it’s kind of boring. Somehow, though, I end up writing all these serious blog posts about writing, marketing, and such. I’m here today to stop that serious stuff before it takes root. Today’s blog post is all about fun. So, without further ado, here are a few things I did in 2015 which were a bit unexpected:

I went to the men’s toilet in an Arab/Muslim land. We were traveling through Jordan checking out several of the Crusader castles because – hello! – history geek here. We stopped to get gas and I had to pee, but there weren’t any women’s toilet. In fact, there weren’t any women period. I was directed to the men’s toilet and everything turned out fine (having been in the military I’m a champ at squat toilets), but if you can catch fire from stares I would have been incinerated.
I was severely tempted to snorkel into Saudi Arabia just to see what would happen. Don’t get me wrong. Saudi is in no shape or form on my bucket list of places to visit. When we were in Jordan snorkeling, our guide casually mentioned that we should be careful not to swim too close to the border because the Saudi’s were a bit particular about that. Of course, then I was curious and sorely tempted. The knowledge that I wouldn’t be drinking any beer in Saudi kept my fins firmly kicking in Jordanian waters.
When we entered Georgia (the country, not the state), we received a free bottle of local wine. Well, let me tell you, coming directly from the Muslim country in which we live, this was a most pleasant surprise. In fact, I was so excited that I shouted: “I love this f*cking country already.” Luckily, the Georgian immigration police thought that was funny. (Side note – never shout at immigration in the U.S., you will not like the consequences. True story.)
Our neighbors are not dog lovers. In fact, they’ve put up homemade signs all over the place prohibiting dogs from going on the grass, which makes me really angry since (1) we specifically moved here for the amount of grass surrounding the buildings and (2) I pick up after my dog so what’s the problem. Anyway, I’m often confronted by my neighbors about the dog. Mostly my neighbors don’t speak English and I just shout back at them (yeah, they’re always shouting). My downstairs neighbor, however, speaks decent English. When she yelled at me for my dog ‘going’ on the grass, I explained that I always pick up after him and showed her the very cute doggy doo doo bags I carry. Then, she got mad. She claimed that my dog had just gone and I hadn’t picked it up. That’s when I had to explain to her that he just peed and didn’t poop and there’s not really any way for me to pick up his pee. Fun times.

Don’t worry. This list isn’t exhaustive. The next time the hubby complains that my blog is boring, you can bet you’ll be seeing more of my unexpected life. In the meantime, what about you? What have you done in the past year that you never expected you’d do?

How to Woo a Widow by Barbara Allen #excerpt

Welcome to my tour stop for How to Woo a Widow by Barbara Allen! This is book one of the Widow Trilogy and is a contemporary women’s fiction novel.

The tour runs April 11-22 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

~ About the Book ~

 

Fate may have had its way with the Hamilton sisters, but their destinies are still up for grabs….

Something has to be done about the Hamilton sisters. Faith and Claire Hamilton are so focused on avoiding their pain that they are forgetting how to truly live. Fortunately for them, feisty family friend Ollie knows a little something about what it’s like to cope with the death of a husband. She also knows how to mix a splash of fun into the process. Now, she is determined to impart the lessons she’s learned on the two young widows she loves like daughters. Her efforts start discreetly; Faith doesn’t even realize she is being nudged into the arms of the man she has been denying her attraction to, and Claire’s long-buried lust for life is reignited by a challenging new job. With Ollie’s touch, massive meltdowns are turned into hilarious moments and the weight of shameful secrets is unburdened. Neither sister has any idea Ollie is mentoring the men who have fallen for them in the fine art of widow-wooing, and no one can predict how her students or protégées will fare. How to Woo a Widow is the first of the Widow Trilogy, Life After Death

Goodreads | Amazon
Trailer

~ Excerpt ~

If it wasn’t so un-funny, it would be funny, Claire mused. She’d never been afraid of much before- in her other life. Today, though, her nerves were on full alert as she neared her destination, desperately trying to find anything amusing about fearing Faith. She twisted the rearview mirror to reflect her face while she tried in vain to remember a time she’d ever been scared of her big sister. But not even the night she’d backed the car their father just gave them into the lake could compare to this. This time Claire wasn’t sure Faith would write her antics off so easily.

“It’s going to take more than a smile and a joke to work my way out of this one,” she warned her reflection. Or, rather, the thing in the mirror that stared back at her. For surely the hollow-pitted cheeks and puffy eyes of this hag staring at her could not be the same Claire Hamilton who customarily basked in men’s admiring stares. She turned her attention back to the road just in time to see a pair of chipmunks cheerfully scampering across the pavement in front of her.

The sound of screeching tires broke the stillness of the spring afternoon, causing the horses in the paddocks she was now alongside to raise their heads and stare at her in what she swore was a disapproving manner. “Bite me, Black Beauty,” she muttered. “Go judge someone of your own kind.” Then she saw her equine jurists turn their attention away from her, to something on the ridge.

A horse and rider were tearing up the earth, churning chunks of new grass out behind pounding hooves. Claire idled her rental a moment longer, taking in her first sight of Faith since she snuck out of town six months ago. From this distance, dashing across the farm’s high ridge, Faith may have been riding right out of a movie scene in which her character leads a charmed life. Her auburn hair had escaped the dainty hairclips she preferred and was streaming behind her, blending with the matching mane of her horse as Faith leaned forward alongside her mare’s neck. The horse galloping alongside hers moved in unison with his running mate, and in that romantic movie would be mounted by her surgically-enhanced Adonis of a leading man.

Perhaps to a casual passerby it would appear to be just such a scene. But Claire knew enough to look harder, and saw the bare back of the deep gold palomino horse. There was no leading man leaning over the horse’s neck, urging him on. Rather, it was Faith’s arm reaching out to pat it even as their speed increased. Claire was always amazed at Faith’s natural skills with life in general and horses in particular. “Freaking Faith,” she half-laughed. “Always finds a way to work a piece of magic into even the worst moments.

~ About the Author ~

“Normal” is for other people. The more Barbara Allen fought to be normal, the harder life laughed at her. And just when she thought she’d got the last laugh, life turned against her in a tragedy that almost destroyed her.

Barbara was just 32 years old in 2005,  when her world fell apart. Her husband had been murdered in Iraq at the hands of a fellow soldier. Barbara was left to raise four young boys – just 6, 5, 3, and 1 year old at the time their father was killed. She wanted to give up. She very nearly did. And yet, in the midst of the darkest moments, she always found some reason to take one more breath. Face one more day.

 

Slowly, she found the strength to piece herself back together as she flew to Kuwait for  one military court proceeding, and then spent years traveling thousands of miles to all the rest. She learned to navigate the military’s criminal justice system. She earned a Masters degree and wrote a book about her ordeal and the grave miscarriage of justice in this case. She learned how it could all have been prevented, and she began advocating for change so it would never happen again. Today, Barbara is deeply entrenched in veterans advocacy and her own steadfast pursuit of justice for her husband. She works as a Veterans Specialist and continues her fight to secure the Purple Heart for her husband.  She has experienced impressive emotional face-plants and vast arrays of  challenges- some self-inflicted, others randomly encountered. And she has acquired the skills to not just overcome it all, but to enjoy the ride.

 

Barbara may have learned how to turn her adversity into an advantage in life, but this lesson did not come easily. And this upper hand must be diligently maintained.  Now, Barbara brings her life lessons to her audiences in keynote speeches and custom programs. She relates to her audiences’ lives and challenges, and teaches them how to become gladiators in their own life’s arena.

Facebook | LinkedIn | Website

***
***
GIVEAWAY:
$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
Ends 4/27
Prizing is provided by the author. You must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 18. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

 

Release Blitz ~ Alas, She Drowned by @monicaknightley #giveaway

 

Cozy Mystery
Date Published: April 12, 2016


Murder. Betrayal. Duplicity.

When ex-novice nun, turned steamy romance writer, Maggie O’Flynn moves to the charming village of Stratford Upon Avondale to open a tea room she expects plenty of murder, betrayal, and duplicity. On the stages of the town’s renowned Shakespeare Festival. But when a theater critic is found murdered on the town’s riverbank and the prime suspect turns out to be the sexy bookshop owner Maggie has had her eye on, she takes matters into her own hands. Will she be able to dig through the layers of betrayal and duplicity to find the true murderer before that handsome bookseller, Nate Larimer, finds himself behind bars? With the help of her loud, brash, spitfire of a friend, Gina Mattucci, Maggie plans to do just that.

With a bit of Shakespeare, copious amounts of tea, and a faux-English setting to rival anything the real England has to offer, ALAS, SHE DROWNED is the first book in THE STRATFORD UPON AVONDALE mystery series. Lovers of cozy mysteries will find a cozy home in Stratford Upon Avondale.


EXCERPT

As I placed the sandwich board advertising, “Authentic English Cream Teas, $7.99”, outside my twee tea room I came to a realization. In the past two weeks alone, I’d had all the murder, mayhem, scandal, and treachery I could handle.

When I’d moved from my home in Philadelphia to this small town four months earlier I had no idea it was such a hotbed of scandal. Murders were commonplace; duplicity abounded; treachery was to be expected.

And yet the place is bucolic beyond words. Nestled in a rural corner of a western state, it is surrounded by orchards and vineyards. But much of its claim to fame is the center of town which resembles a quaint English village, with every building seeming to have been lifted from Tudor or Victorian England. Mullioned windows, exposed timbers, bay windows, gables, and jettied top floors appear to be building code requirements.

But still, all that murder and duplicity.

Murder and duplicity that could be found on Stratford Upon Avondale’s two renowned stages. The five-month long Shakespeare festival is the town’s raison d’être. 

In my short time in the village I had already attended three plays—two Shakespeare and one production of Arsenic and Old Lace.

Yes, that was indeed plenty of murder and scandal, and the festival had just begun.

“Morning, Maggie,” called out Mrs. Vachon from the souvenir shop three doors down the street, where she was meticulously sweeping the sidewalk. After a few days of clouds and rain, the morning sun felt warm and welcome, and I noticed Mrs. Vachon wasn’t the only merchant outside tidying up.

“Good morning.” I waved at the energetic, gray-haired woman who’d been running her shop for over forty years.

 Maggie O’Flynn—I was the newbie in town. Most of the business owners in the town dedicated to all things Shakespeare and England,— despite being five thousand miles from English soil—had been here for years. Yet they all welcomed me with open arms when I purchased the Merry Wives Tea Room and settled into their town. 



About the Author

Monica Knightley began creating compelling characters and stories at the age of three, when she had a plethora of imaginary friends, all with complete backstories. Today any characters that come knocking on the door of her imagination find themselves in one of her mysteries, young adult novels, or paranormal romances.
When not fueling her reading addiction or writing her next book, Monica loves to travel with her husband, with England being her favorite frequently visited destination, and perhaps France coming in a close second. She can’t live without perfectly steeped tea, a good bold red wine, and dark chocolate. Monica loves her time with family and friends and can never get enough of either.

Monica lives in Portland, Oregon where the frequent rainy weather is perfect for curling up with a good book and a cup of tea.




Contact Links



Website


Facebook


Twitter


Blog




Purchase Links


Amazon



Giveaway


$10 Amazon Gift Card


a Rafflecopter giveaway