Adele Downs's Blog, page 35

February 5, 2016

February 2, 2016

KISSING HER COWBOY by Adele Downs, Anniversary Book Blast!

Dozens of book bloggers and My Family’s Heart Reviews will feature western romance KISSING HER COWBOY on their review sites, Twitter, and Facebook today to celebrate the book’s anniversary. Please join the book blast by sharing this post on social media. Tweet and re-tweet! And if you haven’t read Kissing Her Cowboy yet, I hope you’ll buy the book! Thanks so much!


KISSING HER COWBOY by Adele Downs


A Lunchbox Romance Short Story


Only .99!


An Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Western, Western Romance and Short Romance


A cowboy with a fractured back and a cop with a broken spirit heal on a Texas ranch with the help of a stallion named Big Blue.


Kissing Her Cowboy_322X454


Summary:


Treymont Woods is forced to take light duty work around Breezy Meadows Ranch after a rodeo accident. While Trey’s body heals, he offers riding lessons to Houston locals on the greatest horse that ever lived, Big Blue. When police officer Daisy Phillips arrives for her first session, sparks fly. But her invisible wounds run deep, making it hard for her to form connections. KISSING HER COWBOY is the story of two broken people who heal on the road to their happily ever after.


Excerpt:


“Oh, Lord.” Treymont Woods kicked up dust on his boots as he sauntered from the stables to the woman who just had to be his new riding student. Her flaming red hair swooshed from one side of her shoulders to the other as she watched his stallion, Big Blue, canter inside the corral. Her hands, knuckles white, clutched the fence and every muscle in her tall, slim figure looked tight. Before he could get to her, she pivoted toward the parking area, moving her feet like she was fixin’ to run.


“Hey there!” He called out as a distraction. By the time Trey reached the woman’s side, he could hear her breathing like she’d raced a Texas mile. Before he could introduce himself, she turned to him with wide green eyes and shouted, “He’s huge!” Pink splotches bloomed under the freckles on her pale skin.


She licked her bottom lip and shook her head. “No, no, no, no….” and started backing away. “I can’t do this. Keep my deposit. I’ll figure something else out.”


Trey lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Okay. No problem. You don’t have to ride if you don’t want to.”  Her jeans looked too tight for riding, anyway, and that white blouse would be smudged inside five minutes. Hadn’t the woman ever been to a ranch before?


She stopped moving then and frowned at him, causing twin lines to form above her nose. Her adorable nose, now that he’d gotten a decent look. In fact, everything about the woman seemed downright appealing, despite her reaction to Big Blue. Who in their right mind wouldn’t love the greatest horse that ever lived, on sight?


Buy The Book for .99!


Amazon   iTunes


Boroughs Publishing Group


Available wherever ebooks are sold.


Her Christmas Cowboy_tent cover


HER CHRISTMAS COWBOY is the standalone sequel.


A Lunchbox Romance Short Story.


Only .99!


An Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Western, Western Romance, and Short Romance.


Filed under: .99 Kindle Book, .99 Novella, .99 short story, Amazon Top 100 Best-Seller, Contemporary Romance, Cowboys, Fiction, Kindle Book, Romance, Romance Fiction, Romantic Fiction, Sale on Books, Short Story, Western Novels, Western Romance Tagged: cowboy story with emotion and heart, Kissing Her Cowboy Anniversary
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Published on February 02, 2016 03:00

January 29, 2016

January 26, 2016

Guest Author Tamara Lush, INTO THE HEAT

I was a newspaper reporter and columnist back in the day, and feel a special connection to other reporters, especially those with a long and illustrious career like Associated Press reporter and New Adult fiction writer Tamara Lush.


Please welcome Tamara as she celebrates her new release INTO THE HEAT, a contemporary romance novel filled with action and suspense. INTO THE HEAT is her second novel set on fictional Palmira Island, Florida. Her debut title was HOT SHADE, and I can testify that her stories sizzle with semi-tropical heat. I’ve read both books and gave them 5 Stars. Be sure to welcome Tamara in the comments section and check out her awesome books.


Best~Adele


*****


Journalism Came First by Tamara Lush


I’ve thought about writing a romance novel for a long time, since I was in my early twenties. I’ve always liked the genre but only had a vague idea of where to begin. The love of my day job — a journalist — always came first. And so the vague ideas went nowhere for a couple of decades. In 2012, I wrote a first chapter of a story, and then shelved it.


Who was I to write fiction, I thought. I was a journalist. I had no business writing like that!


The idea percolated for two years and I didn’t forget that chapter in my file cabinet. I was a reporter with The Associated Press, covering huge stories like the Haiti earthquake, the BP oil spill and countless mass shootings. In 2014, I covered a spate of particularly awful news. Within a few months’ time, I wrote about the trial of a woman who killed her teenagers, a man who killed his entire family and burned his house down, and a grandfather who killed his daughter — and his six grandchildren.


Something in me snapped. Almost overnight, I craved writing a story that ended well. Ended happily. I pulled that first chapter out of the drawer and began to write and re-write it. I took a Media Bistro class with author Susan Squires and I wrote my little fingers off at night, after covering news.


I finished a book. It ended up being Hot Shade, my first novel. It was so freeing and cathartic that I kept writing. Fiction was addictive, I discovered.


Don’t get me wrong. I still love journalism. Every day, I learn something new, and I work with some of the most talented folks in the business. I’m also trained to shoot video. Some days are a pure joy. I write about escaped monkeys, alligators on golf courses, and once I did a story on a potbellied pig named Chris P. Bacon.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z0lZwFWp-4


TamaraLush


Journalism is a deep and complicated love, one that I will never shake. I’m still a reporter with The AP. But writing fiction helps me be a better, more observant reporter. It helps me look at stories and people differently. Fiction also gives me a mental break from a sometimes unforgiving world.


When I wrote my second book, Into the Heat, the idea came while walking on the beach with my best friend one November day. We stumbled upon a sand sculpture contest, and there was a good-looking guy doing a detailed carving. I looked at my friend and said, “This is the opening of a book.”


We ended up spending the day brainstorming, and Leo Villeneuve was born. He’s the hero of Into the Heat, and he’s complicated. As an Afghanistan war hero, he suffers from PTSD. He also has awful nightmares and goes into fugue states when he takes certain sleeping pills. When he arrives on Palmira Island in Florida, he’s convinced that he did something horrible while in such a confused state.


Trouble is, at that very moment, he runs into his first love. Jessica Clarke lives on Palmira and is reeling from her mother’s death. Jessica and Leo met on the island when they were teens and fell quickly, madly, in love. But they’re both dealing with pain and anger from the past.


With the help of my amazing editor Chris Keeslar, I sharpened the conflict between the two characters. It was a somewhat challenging book to write because it didn’t have anything to do with journalism — unlike my first book, Hot Shade.


Both Hot Shade and Into the Heat are standalone novels, although they are both set on the same fictional, Florida island. They’re fun books to read in the dead of winter, I think. A lot of the scenes unfold on beaches, and what could be sexier than falling in love under the sultry Florida sun?


Into the Heat_2


Summary: INTO THE HEAT


Leo Villeneuve is a wounded, tattooed Afghanistan war veteran who is trying like hell to avoid his pain—and his past.


He returns to Florida in hopes of healing. On a sun-kissed beach he runs into Jessica Clarke, the one woman he’s never forgotten. Their attraction for each other burns as hot as the summer sun, but Leo’s got secrets he can’t reveal. Because, if he does, he’ll risk the one thing he can least afford to lose: Jessica’s love.


Into the Heat


A book about first love and second chances. And unforgettable passion.


Excerpt:


Jessica moved lightly, never taking her eyes off the guy. His skin was a warm bronze hue and his muscular thighs had sunk into the sand. He wore only blue surf shorts, and while she had grown up on the beach, it was rare that such a stunning specimen of manhood graced the sleepy Palmira shores. If only she could remain invisible while sculpting her sand creation, free to admire this guy’s beauty without having to make small talk, then life would be perfect.


She stopped swinging her bucket, so the tools wouldn’t make a sound.


A sketchbook sat in front of the guy on the sand, and he held a pencil in one large, masculine hand, drawing with broad strokes. Jessica took a few more steps toward her sand pile, which also conveniently allowed her to get a better look at the guy’s profile. What she saw turned her grin into an open-mouthed gape.


No. It can’t be.


Leo Villeneuve? Inhaling a long, thin breath, she narrowed her eyes. Was it possible? Her first kiss.
Her first love.
Her first heartbreak.


She took off her sunglasses. Was it really him? Yep, it was. She could tell by the shape of his long, straight nose. And by the way his full lips pushed out slightly as he concentrated on the sketchbook. Those lips had kissed her, and the memory of all the places they’d touched— her neck, her nipples, in between her legs—made her shiver in the hot sun as if a single ice cube had been dropped down the back of her shirt.


“Jess, you’re my first. And I’m your first and I don’t want there ever to be anyone else.”


It made her unsteady to recall his lazy New Orleans accent and how he’d whispered honey- sweet promises and dirty declarations in her ear all while he did wicked things to her body. Things that she’d allowed no one to do in the five years since.


Leo and his father had vacationed on Palmira and stayed at the hotel for two weeks. Her mom and his dad were old friends. Old good friends, apparently, because the minute they arrived Jess’s mom had become less strict. Jess and Leo had taken to each other quickly, talking about music and video games and movies. He’d been surprised that she liked the Iron Man franchise as much as he did.


They’d kissed on Christmas Eve, the second night they knew each other, and spent the next several days doing everything but sex. She’d been wary but so excited. Leo never once tried to push her to do more than she wanted, and soon she was ready to try it all with him.


A week later, it happened. Leo slipped into her room after the adults were asleep. They’d lost their virginity to each other—awkwardly. She remembered how she hadn’t had an orgasm from sex like she had with his hands and tongue, but it was pretty wonderful nonetheless.


They’d kept having sex over the rest of the vacation, seemingly every moment they could steal away. Things had quickly stopped being awkward. More like explosive.


“All of you, from your head to your toes and everything in between, is mine. You’re mine, Jess. And I’m yours. Always will be, babe. Forever. I love you.”


Jessica straightened. It had been five years, and she’d heard nary a word. So, why the hell was her heart pounding like this? It was as if she had sprinted from her car to the beach. This was not what she wanted.


How unfair. She hadn’t felt this kind of adrenaline rush around any guy in years. Not with the couple of dudes she’d gone out with in college, and not with Jacob, her douche bag of an ex-boyfriend. No, there was only one man who’d ever made her feel this crazy, and he was the one who’d disappeared after what felt like a soul mate connection. And now he was kneeling on the beach in front of her, looking hotter than any man had a right to.


Oh. My. God. Turn around and run. Fast.


She couldn’t move. The sight of him riveted her in place. Instead of the cute, sinewy boy who’d stolen her teenage heart that winter five years ago, this was a man kneeling before her. He looked like he’d been sculpted from fire—and sin. What the heck was he doing here?


Her eyes scanned the beach. There was no one around except for her and this newer, hotter version of her first love. He definitely hadn’t had biceps like that five years ago. Or all those tattoos. His dark hair was short and severe now, no longer curly. His skin looked lickable and smooth, with only a slight sheen of sweat that made her want to glide her hands over his body and linger on every ridge and valley. Like she used to. When she knew him before, he had looked like a sweet lead singer in a boy band. Now those high cheekbones made him look a little feline and a lot arrogant. Hard and sexy, like he was used to taking what he wanted and to hell with everything else.


Or was she imagining all that?


She stepped back, poised to turn, but a curious voice inside of her commanded her to stay. She hadn’t thought of Leo in a long while, mostly because other, bigger tragedies had taken his place. And because what had been the point?


Slipping her sunglasses over her eyes again, she felt an uncomfortable awkwardness wash over her. What could she even say to this near stranger? She suspected that after all these years they would have nothing in common—if they ever had. They’d just been a couple of foolish kids…with an insane amount of physical chemistry.


Tugging at the hem of her oversized T-shirt, she wished she’d worn something other than it and this old pair of jean shorts. As always, she wondered how she looked. Ugly? Fat? She was bigger than she’d been in high school. More womanly. Well, there was nothing she could do now unless she sprinted off the beach.


Her heart thumped hard. With a pulsing, annoying cadence, her right eye twitched in time. Since everything had happened, her eye did that when she was stressed or anxious. It was unnerving how one tiny muscle could sense her emotions.


Leo. She had to say something to him, be polite and act like a mature adult, not a brooding, heartbroken teenager—which was what she felt like as she blinked several times as if to clear the sight of him out of her eyes. Her sister was always telling her to put on her big girl panties and stop being a baby. “Woman up,” Nicole always said. Well, this was the time for it. She was overreacting, anyway. Right?


She’d been staring at him for several moments. He hadn’t seen her and appeared to be deep in concentration, which was fine with her; it allowed her more time to gawk at his hard body, which practically radiated testosterone. She needed to get a handle on what she’d do before he finally acknowledged her presence. She took a big breath, willing herself to stomp down the excitement of seeing him in the flesh. It was only February, and she was determined to have a better year than the last. But seeing Leo again almost guaranteed that life was about to get very, very complicated.


LINKS—INTO THE HEAT


BOOK VIDEO TRAILER


GOODREADS


Buy The Book!


AMAZON   BARNES AND NOBLE


iBOOKS  KOBO  SMASHWORDS


TLHotShade


Filed under: Contemporary Romance, Romance Fiction, Romantic Fiction Tagged: Guest Author, New Adult novel, Romantic Suspense author Tamara Lush
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Published on January 26, 2016 03:00

January 24, 2016

Good Riddance #Blizzard2016

My family and I are digging out from the blizzard of 2016 in Southeastern Pennsylvania. There’s two feet of snow on the ground, and it will be another day, at least, before life returns to normal. But the sun is out, and we have that all-important heat and electricity to keep us warm and comfortable indoors. We were lucky to have heat and power during the height of the storm, when the wind whipped around our house in fierce gusts, and the roof held against falling limbs. We know others weren’t so lucky. The destruction of property and loss of life this blizzard caused is mind-numbing.


blizzard2


We kept a roaring fire going in the family room fireplace while the snow fell and the wind raged. I spent most of my time reading or watching movies. Then my husband and I spent a couple of hours baking. Though the storm outside was frightening, and we worried about our rural county and the surrounding areas, our creative time in the kitchen comforted us. Our chocolate chip and tart cherry biscotti was a delicious success. “)


biscotti


The blizzard is over, but winter is not. I hope you are all safe and warm in your homes, that you fared well during the storm, and that spring will arrive on time this year.


Best~ Adele


Filed under: Seasons of the Year, Winter Tagged: Blizzard2016, The aftermath of blizzard 2016
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Published on January 24, 2016 09:27

January 22, 2016

January 18, 2016

Bitten By The Bug

I caught the photography bug a few years ago on a winter walk through the woods with my husband. The winter was bitterly cold that year, and after weeks of ice and snow, a rare warm day with bright sun appeared. My husband and I bundled up for a hike along the Brandywine River trails, and for some reason, I grabbed my digital camera and put it in my pocket. I had no idea the decision to take pictures as art would be life-changing. I absolutely loved the process.


My new, more powerful digital camera goes with me most places these days, and though I’m strictly amateur, I’m serious about getting the lighting and perspective just right. Photography has become a hobby that relaxes me and allows creative expression when I’m not writing. It’s a nice balance, because writing keeps me alone and confined to an office, while photography forces me out into the world.


My pictures have become a regular feature on my website and blog and, to my surprise, almost two thousand subscribers visit Down To Earth Romance. The marriage of books and photographs has been joyful for me, and I’m especially happy that others seem to like what I do.


Here are some of the photos I took on that life-changing winter walk. I hope you enjoy them.


Best~ Adele


trailahead2 copy


trailrock1 copy


trailtrees copy


trail1 copy


Photographs copyright Adele Downs 2016


Filed under: Original Photography, Photography, Places in Pennsylvania, Places to Visit in the USA, Seasons of the Year Tagged: photography as art, taking pictures for fun, writers who love photography
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Published on January 18, 2016 03:00

January 15, 2016

January 13, 2016

New 5-Star Reviews for NATURALLY YOURS by Adele Downs

Authors are required to spend a lot of time promoting their books. In the old days, publishers promoted for us, but times have changed. These days, most of the planning, execution and expense of marketing comes directly from the author. So when an unexpected invitation for an interview arrives, or bloggers choose to review our books, we’re grateful–especially when the reviews are 5 Star because someone has loved the story we’ve written.


Deneale’s Book Buzz and Bella’s Blog chose to review NATURALLY YOURS recently with stellar 5 Stars. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, now is the perfect time to sit back and relax with this heartwarming story of loss healed by love. NATURALLY YOURS is an Award of Excellence finalist.


“You can’t go wrong with Adele Downs.” ~Will Work for Books


Naturally Yours


Who will save a man who saves the world?


Paramedic Mickey Kendall hasn’t slept a full night since his return from Iraq. He rescues victims by day and protects the innocent after dark. Mickey doesn’t do it for glory; he wants absolution, not admiration. He lives by the rule: No personal contact after a rescue. That code meets the ultimate test when Mickey saves a child’s life on a roadside and declines the parents’ invitation to dinner at their upscale restaurant.


Master chef Amanda Greer lives by the principle that delicious food and good company build bridges. When she learns Mickey has refused her business partners’ hospitality, she persuades him to change his mind. The handsome paramedic visits her restaurant and Amanda joins him at his table. Their unexpected chemistry turns kinetic and leads to a passionate kiss.


In Amanda’s arms, Mickey finds relief from the stressors that haunt him, but resists falling in love. When Amanda challenges him to face his demons and accept the love she offers, Mickey arrives at a crossroad. The war-weary paramedic must first save himself to claim the woman who reignites his passion for living and revives his wounded heart.


Excerpt:


“They called you a hero in the press.” Her dark lashes lowered and lifted and she smiled at him with admiration shining in her eyes. “They were right, of course. What you did for Jack can never be repaid.”


Mickey winced at the hero reference. “I hate to disappoint you, but I only did what I’m trained to do.”


Amanda made sounds of disagreement low in her throat. “Elena told me at least a hundred and fifty cars passed her on the highway. Every one of them ignored her cries for help. Of all those people, don’t you think one might have been medically trained? Or at least cared enough to respond? No. You stopped. Only you.”


Oh. He hadn’t thought of that.


She pointed a finger at his chest. “There’s a difference between you and other people. There’s no other way to explain what happened on that roadway. Elena is convinced you’re special, and I never doubt her perceptions. That’s another reason why I wanted to meet you.”


Mickey stared into Amanda’s eyes and her pupils dilated. Her lips parted, ever so slightly, as if to welcome a kiss. Her tongue touched the inside of her bottom lip and disappeared. Mickey knew then, she felt it too. Synergy. Chemistry. An attraction so powerful it turned kinetic on contact.


Some called it love at first sight.


Amanda. Even her name was beautiful.


She took a sip of her drink and he watched her mouth and throat work the liquid. When she set down the tumbler, she wiped a droplet from the corner of her mouth with a trimmed, unpolished fingertip. Mickey wished he could have swiped the bead away with his tongue.


Amanda leaned closer and pressed a hand to his wrist. “Trained or not, you were the only stranger on that highway who had a heart.”


Mickey laid his hand over hers and she let him keep it there. Until now, he wasn’t sure he still had a heart. His had been chipped away, piece by piece, like a block of ice since the war. He’d considered it long gone, with his soul. In mere minutes, what was left had thawed in the center, leaving him raw and exposed.


Amanda continued to speak; clearly unaware she’d stripped away another layer. “I love Jack like he’s my own son. He’s a terrific kid. I’ve helped take care of him since the day the Martins and I started this restaurant. When you saved him, you saved us all.” Amanda leaned in and pressed a quick, sweet kiss against Mickey’s jaw.


Their gazes locked when she sat back in her chair. The gravity of her words and her straightforward kiss humbled him into speechlessness. He’d been thanked many times before, but this woman had gotten to him like no one else. He squeezed her hand and then downed the rest of his drink. Amanda took another sip of hers and set the glass on the table before retreating into silence. She turned the tumbler slowly in her hands.


Mickey looked back at her and tapped two fingers against the menu’s leather cover. “Nothing here is what I expected.”


Amanda returned a quiet smile, either assuming he meant food choices, or pretending he had. She tucked her arms beneath her breasts and leaned forward against the edge of the table, lifting perfect white swells above the neckline of her blouse. “Organic means untouched by artificiality. Grown and consumed in its natural state. We eat only healthy foods unspoiled by chemicals, preservatives, hormones, steroids, antibiotics, and genetically modified seeds or cells. Pure.”


Pure. Mickey gazed at the stunning woman by his side. The texture of her skin looked smooth as cream and welcoming to the touch. He longed to run his hands along her thighs, imagining sleek roads leading to heaven at their apex. “I like the sound of that.” The way she looked back at him while he studied her face made him wonder if she’d read his mind.


The one that had gone dirty.


Naturally Yours


Buy NATURALLY YOURS on Amazon


Books by Adele Downs on Amazon 


Filed under: Award Winning, Contemporary Romance, Firefighters, First Responders, Kindle Book, Romance Fiction, Romance Novella Tagged: 5 Star Reviews on Naturally Yours by Adele Downs, Story about a veteran turned paramedic, sweet but sexy romance novella
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Published on January 13, 2016 06:13

January 8, 2016