Aubrey Wynne's Blog, page 46
January 27, 2022
Damaged Grump by Nicole Snow – an excerpt and giveaway
Damaged Grump: An Enemies to Lovers Romance
Nicole Snow
Publication date: January 21st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow returns with a hysterical office romance where the grumpiest boss claims the good girl and loses his scorched heart.
Our meet cute was one big sip of ugly.
He pushed my hell-no buttons, wearing an indestructible smirk.
I offended his warped morals in front of his starry-eyed minions.
Then I got my sweet reward for doing the right thing.
I found out I’d be calling Roland Osprey “boss.”
A filthy rich tabloid king. Emphasis on filthy.
A gorgeous villain who sold his soul—if he ever had one.
A tyrant who stole my sensitive, uplifting music magazine.
Welcome to my bait and switch.
Apparently, disasters come in threes.
His perfect vests that leave me delirious.
The way he stares at my lips—painted for torment with an arsenal of lipstick.
Our shared love for sad songs that makes me cry.
So does the big fat secret assignment he drops on my head.
I hate that he has a good cause.
I wish I could hate the wicked ways he makes me feel divine.
When my guard slips, I’m in free fall.
One all-consuming kiss in an alley seals our epic mistake.
How many times can one damaged grump make me sing the blues?
How do you ever fall out of love with the bad guy?
Full-length enemies-to-lovers romance doused in biting words and sizzling slow-burn tension. The worst boss ever finds his missing piece in the woman who loathes him—and an unlikely Happily Ever After worth all the lumps to the heart.
—
EXCERPT:
It’s ten a.m.
I was supposed to meet Roland fifteen minutes ago, and I’m still slumming around in a t-shirt and panties.
“Just a minu—ULP!” I yell, tumbling out of bed.
Legs, meet sheets.
Legs, get intimately acquainted with sheets.
Legs, dump me face-first on the floor when I try standing with the sheets tangled around my calves.
Yep, I basically just hog-tied myself.
I go down hard, groaning as another knock rattles the door. This time, it’s firmer.
“Callie? Are you all right in there?” Roland’s voice drifts through the thick wood.
Oh, boy.
“M’fine,” I mumble into the pillow that fell with me, thankfully cushioning my head smacking the floor. “Just tripped. Give me a sec.”
He doesn’t say anything, but his silence whispers skepticism.
Who could blame him?
I fight off the sheets, totter to my feet, and dump the bedding back on the mattress before snagging a pair of running shorts from the suitcase I’d left open in the corner easy chair.
Hopping on one foot, then the other, I shimmy into them, yanking them up over my hips. Then I stagger to the door and pull it open with my arms moving faster than my brain.
Eep.
One look at the bosshole makes me realize what a disheveled mess I am.
We’re talking oversized shirt falling off one shoulder, hanging down just long enough to hide my tiny shorts. Bedhead hair sticking up like a cactus—I’m surprised I don’t scare him—and I don’t even want to know what I look like without my makeup.
Especially not after sleeping with my face smooshed in a pillow.
He’s my total opposite.
How predicable.
Even dressed down, he looks so cool and collected and put together that he’d wreck a GQ model.
He’s just wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans with thick-soled black workmen’s boots—but it’s a designer shirt, designer jeans, designer boots in fine leather.
The dark-grey shirt clings to his chest like it’s painted on, pouring over his beastly pecs and dipping down sculpted abs in ridged patterns.
God. Even the stitching on the short sleeves strains against the rock-hard cut of his biceps like it’s struggling to hold them in.
Dark, faded jeans hang low on his hips in the right and oh-so-wrong way, held in place by a leather belt that just barely keeps them from dipping down to pure sin.
A little lower, and I know they’d reveal the narrow V of his pelvis.
The fit hints at the power between his legs, from his thighs underneath to a piece of him I dare not imagine.
Not if I want to keep my last worn thread of sanity.
Author Bio:
Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.
Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty. With over a million books sold, she lives for the joy of making two people fight with every bit of their soul for a Happily Ever After.
Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.
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January 26, 2022
Indecent by Darcy Burke plus a giveaway!
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Darcy Burke will be awarding an ebook copy of book 1 of the Phoenix Club series, IMPROPER, to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
If Bennet St. James, the Viscount Glastonbury, doesn’t find a bride with a sizeable dowry, he’ll be in the poorhouse along with his interminable number of female relatives—all of whom he loves but are a drain on the negative fortune his father left when he died of a broken pocketbook. Desperate, he hatches a scheme to snare an heiress only to be foiled by a most vexing and alluring—and unfortunately equally destitute—paid companion.
Lady’s companion Prudence Lancaster is single-minded about finding her mother and filling in the missing pieces of her life. But a villainous viscount interrupts her plans, and his surprising charm and understanding tempts her in the most indecent ways. Soon, she’s dreaming of the future instead of wallowing in the past.
But when Bennet shares a dark secret, her hopes are dashed. For he won’t break the promise he made to his family, even if it means losing the greatest love he’s ever known.
Read an Excerpt
Prudence sank down beside him on his injured side. “Does it hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Did you lose consciousness?” she asked. “You didn’t move for a moment.”
His brow furrowed, then he winced. “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. Everything happened so fast. All I could see was that branch coming straight down toward you. If anything had happened to you…” He closed his eyes and pressed his lips together until they whitened.
“Nothing happened, save my sudden need for a bath.”
He laughed and winced again.
“No more laughing,” she admonished.
“Then stop being witty and charming.” He opened one eye. “If you can, which I daresay you can’t.”
“Nonsense. I’ll be ruthless in my care of you.”
His other eye opened, and he regarded her with a heat that shocked and thrilled her. “Promise?”
About the Author:
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, artist daughter, and imaginative son who will almost certainly out-write her one day (that may be tomorrow).
They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, an older rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, and a collection of neighbor cats who hang out on the deck and occasionally venture inside. You can find Darcy at a winery, in her comfy writing chair, or binge-watching TV with the family.
Her happy places are Disneyland, Labor Day weekend at the Gorge, Denmark, and anywhere in the UK—so long as her family is there too.
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Reader Group Newsletter
Darcy’s Duchesses Facebook Group
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January 25, 2022
Falling for The Suitor by Holly Kerr – read an excerpt and enter the giveaway!
Falling for The Suitor
Holly Kerr
(Suitor Science, #1)
Publication date: January 25th 2022
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
I never expected to fall for The Suitor.
I actually trip on the hem of my dress.
It wasn’t my idea to come on the reality show, because who really falls in love after twelve weeks? I’m not good at love… or being camera-ready 24/7. The other contestants know all about the First Date Rose, how to get The Suitor alone on a group date, and they all have a plan on how to best win his heart. It’s not going to be easy playing nice with them.
But when I meet The Suitor— Grayson Grant, former player on and off the field, and with the smile that can light up a city—it’s the spark between us that makes me forget all the reasons I didn’t want to come on the show.
I’m going to win this.
Unfortunately, twenty-five other women think the same thing.
Falling for The Suitor is the first in the new Suitor Science Series, a charmingly sweet, swoony, and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy full of sparks and power surges.
—
EXCERPT:
One step, then another; a shuffle hop as a surge of excitement overshadows my nerves, and I grin in a foolish sort of way.
Closer up, I see I was wrong; he’s more than cute. And taller than I expected. The blond hair gleams in the light, the eyes—I think… blue—crinkle at the corners. He’s a younger Brad Pitt, with a little Chris Evans thrown in, and the easy charm of Chris Pratt. He’s all the Chrises rolled into one baseball-playing, suit-wearing, nicely shaved, really cute…
And then the way his gaze tracks my every move, his smile growing with my every step like he’s looking forward to this as much as I am, makes things tingle that haven’t tingled in a very long time.
Finally, I’m standing before The Suitor, as nervous as Cinderella at the ball. “Hi.” I take a deep breath and my smile widens. “Hi.”
I completely blank on his name.
Author Bio:
Holly Kerr is the author of fifteen chick-lit, romantic comedy, and women’s fiction novels, but don’t ask her to explain the differences in the genres. She grew up a farm girl but now calls Toronto home, where she lives with her three very tall children, following their sports exploits like any dutiful mother.
She’s a lover of Marvel movies, Star Wars movies…really, any movies, and has a surprising amount of worthless pop culture info stored in her head. She likes oceans over mountains, tea over coffee, and can mix a darn fine dirty martini, with extra olives, of course.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
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January 20, 2022
SCANDALS OF TOKYO by Heather Hallman w/ giftcard giveaway
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Heather Hallman will award a $25 Amaon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
ENJOY THIS PREQUEL TO THE TOKYO WHISPERS SERIES
In the Foreign Quarter of Tsukiji, Tokyo, Japan, Victorian England is alive and well. Manners and etiquette are as valuable as gossip and deceit. Men are more rakish than ever – so far from home, societal rules seem to be relaxed. But courting young women still requires a deft hand, a smart wit, and a man with something to offer.
INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL
Intent on being an international journalist of repute, Evelyn Prescott will do what it takes to make her mark.
It doesn’t hurt that her father has built a newspaper empire, but finding a scandal in Japan is no easy task.
As much as she hates to admit it, she is forced to meet with the owner of the Tokyo Daily News, Ned Taylor, also an Englishman.
Ned holds a deep-rooted dislike of Evelyn’s father’s approach to journalism, and Ned, a notorious rake, pushes her to see just how far Evelyn is prepared to go to get her story.
From Reedsy Discovery: “Written as a prequel novelette to her forthcoming Tokyo Whispers series, “Scandals of Tokyo” drops readers into the immigrant quarter of Meiji era Tokyo, with hints of all of the glitz, the temptation, and the salacious gossip one could wish. At just under 30 pages, Hallman has a lot of ground to cover, introducing characters and a world that will be expanded on in future novels, but if “Scandals” is just a taste of this series, then it’s going to be huge.
Lovingly researched and brilliantly detailed, Hallman knows the place and time she’s writing about and it shows! Turn of the century Tokyo is alive and well on her pages and in her characters, and it is certain to delight.”
Read an Excerpt
Tokyo 1896
Foreign Quarter of Tsukiji
Several matrons strolled towards the balustrade, their chatter enveloped in the rustling of silk skirts and clattering of heels against the terrace flagstones. Aunt Prissy warbled an evening greeting to some of them, which they returned in kind. Over the course of their residence at the Hotel Metropolis, she’d become friendly with most of the guests. As the women walked away, Aunt Prissy offered another large yawn from behind her fan.
“Really, you should retire. I’ll stay a bit longer on the terrace. I’m too fidgety to join you.” Evelyn’s gratitude for her aunt’s permissiveness as chaperone had never been greater, but she was determined to speak with a certain charming gentleman this evening, and the conversation would proceed more smoothly if Aunt Prissy wasn’t taking part.
“I perfectly understand, dear Evie. Better you fidget on the terrace. It’s quite windy tonight. Do beware of catching a chill. Shall I bring you a wrap?” Even at the end of August, summer’s heat held Tokyo in its grip. Night brought a modicum of relief, but the breezes off Tokyo Bay remained sultry.
Evelyn declined the offer and kissed Aunt Prissy good night. As the swish of her aunt’s skirts faded, Evelyn contemplated her target.
Ned Taylor was her last hope.
She hadn’t wanted to use the letter she carried, but she’d been in Tokyo for over a month and still didn’t have a scandalous story she could send to Papa. Most of her time had been spent convalescing from a summer malady she’d picked up a few days after arriving and chasing a baroness through the countryside for a scandal-worthy headline. She’d inquired around the foreign quarter as to the reputations of its prominent residents, but all her efforts had amounted to was unsubstantiated rumours and trivial innuendo.
Evelyn had no choice but to present Mr Taylor with a request from her papa he couldn’t ignore.
About the Author:
Heather Hallman writes witty, sensual, contest-winning romances set in Meiji-era Japan (1868-1912). She is the author of the Tokyo Whispers series that includes Scandals of Tokyo and Talk of Tokyo. She is fluent in Japanese language, history, and culture, and earned a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology based on fieldwork research in Japan. She lives in Tokyo with her professor husband and two young daughters. In her free time, she can be found translating ancient Japanese poetry and observing the passing of seasons while sipping green tea. Just kidding, she has no free time. But she does watch something that makes her laugh while she does the dishes.
Perennial obsessions include the weather forecast (she checks three different apps at least three times a day, as no single app can be trusted), Baltimore Ravens football (hometown obsession), and making smoothies that taste like candy bars.
Feel free to chat her up about any of her obsessions, or, even better, about historical Japan—any era is fine, she loves them all. She also enjoys exchanging book recommendations, discussions about the craft of romance writing, and stories about life in present-day Tokyo.
Website
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Boroughs Publishing Group
iBook
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January 19, 2022
THEY CALLED HIM MARVIN by Roger Stark – with a giveaway!
Welcome to the tour for Roger Stark’s historical fiction, They Called Him Marvin. Read on for more details and a chance to win a signed edition of the book!
They Called Him Marvin: A History of Love, War and Family
Publication Date: June 14th, 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction/ Historical Romance/ Based on True Events
Young lovers trying be be a family, but duty called, interrupting them.
He answered. She, with child was left behind.
The war did end, but he never returned.
“They Called Him Marvin” is a history. A history of war and of family. A history of the collision of the raging politics of a global war, young love, patriotism, sacred family commitments, duty and the horrors and tragedies, the catastrophe that war is.
A reviewer explains: “I am a fan of historical fiction and this story did not disappoint. It was sweet, tragic, personal, and moving. Gradually and almost imperceptibly, the story of two wartime sweethearts begins circling the drain of a tragedy you know is coming. The book begins with the ending, but by the time you get there you have convinced yourself that it can’t possibly be the case. I enjoyed every moment, even the ones that left me in tears.”
The letters between Connie and Dean provided a fascinating glimpse into wartime life. Reading the experiences of people both at home and abroad was very engaging. I found myself eagerly awaiting the next letter, right along with the young couple!
Lastly, the book left me with an overwhelming acknowledgement of the universal trauma and tragedy of war. The Shermans are not the only family we meet in the book and the weaving together of several different narratives added a depth to the story that’s hard to put into words.
Add to Goodreads
Excerpt
18 January 1941, The Story Begins
Stanley Carter started all this.
… I want to help you with your problem of not knowing any one in Salt Lake. Tomorrow I am going to my girlfriends house, come with me, she would love to meet you and then you will know two people here.” Dean answered, “I could be talked into that.”
“We are going to meet up at church and then go to her house.”
By the end of church the following day, Dean would actually know three people from Salt Lake City. This because Stan’s girlfriend, Carol Woffinden, happened to be the best friend of Constance Avilla Baldwin, who also just happened to attend the same Waterloo Ward of the Mormon Church, who also didn’t have a boy friend, and who was also more than happy to make a visitor feel welcome.
Dean innocently walked into all of this.
Mormons have a special interest in non Mormons, or Gentiles as they call them. You see, a Mormon is never far from, or without, his missionary zeal. If you’re not a Mormon and your going to hang out with a Mormon for very long, you’re going to get zealed. For Dean Harold Sherman, it was to be a life altering dose of zealing.
Dean and Connie exchanged 67 letters (50 written by Dean) the night (unbeknownst to him) that his son Marvin was born Dean wrote:
18 February 1945
Good Evening Peaches:
Hello sweet girl, I sure have been thinking of you lots these days and wishing so much that I could be around to take care of you, and be holding your nice soft hands and giving you lots of moral support, and see your pretty face and look in your eyes and without saying a word, tell you millions of wonderful things that you mean to me. You do too, Honey, mean so many wonderful things to me. All the wonderful things a beautiful girl can be and my best companion ever along with being the sweetest wife any guy ever could love. Those are just a few of the things, Darling, which make me love you more every day…
Goodnight Peach Blossom,
Dean
On the day Dean was shot down Connie Wrote:
14 May 1945
My most wonderful man,
I’m in a rather odd mood tonight Honey, and it is most all about you and Marvin and me. I have been trying to decide whether or not I would write to you tonight most all evening. I wanted to, but I didn’t know if I could express my feelings as I would want to, and, as I feel them. As you can see Honey, I have made up my mind to try. How well I succeed remains to be seen…
Then I was thinking of Marvin and wondering just what his talents are going to be. To have a Daddy such as you, Honey, he will be kind and good, even as you are, a wonderful man. Honey, I’m really just beginning to realize what a great responsibility we have in teaching and caring for Marvin. We just have to do it to the very best of our ability. I know you have lots of ability, Honey, and I hope I have…
I have a hard time, the past seems like such a thrilling dream of love and happiness. I wonder if it all really happened, but then I know it did. And Oh! Honey how I do love you now and forever and ever ever after with all my heart and soul. Honey I just can’t express how deep my love for you is. Its an impossibility. I love you always.
Good night my husband,
Peaches
Xxxxxxxxxx
10 December 1944, The Same Damn Movie
… In Puerto Rico the crew was quite happy to watch the new release The Lady Takes a Chance starring John Wayne and Jean Arthur. Coincidently when they reached British Guiana the same movie was featured. Not to be deterred the crew again enjoyed the film. When they got to Brazil and it was again the featured picture show, some murmuring occurred. The Corporalies, were feeling cheated.
When they found the movie would be playing at their fourth stop also they complained to Dean.
“Sir, ain’t the Army got any other movies?”
“We know the lines better than the actors.”
“We know John Wayne is going to eat the lamb chops because Jean Arthur cooked them for him even tho he is a beef man.”
“Maybe there will be something new at our next stop,” was the consolation Dean offered. After crossing the Atlantic The Corporalies showed signs of giving up on the movies.
But in KhartoumThe Corporalies forced into the NCO Club by the searing heat and therefore ‘forced‘ to drink cold beer all day had a terrible yearning, near evening, for a movie.
“Howell, go see what’s playing at the movies tonight.” ordered his fellow Corporalies.
By virtue of being the youngest Howell was often the brunt of such requests especially after three or four beers. He had given up protesting that he was the same rank as them. In fact as the Central Gunner, he was in charge of the other gunners in combat, but as the youngest of four boys at home he felt a strange comfort in re-playing the role with his combat brothers.
“And damn it, don’t come back if it is The Lady Takes a Chance.”
Of course he discovered that The Lady was indeed tonight’s special feature. On the way back to the NCO Club with the sad news that John Wayne was again eating those lamb chops even here on the edge of the Nile Rivers, he met his Airplane Commander.
“Sir, they are playing that same damn movie here, oh sorry sir, that same John Wayne movie is playing here. We are sick of it, Sir, ain’t the Army got any other movies?”
“Evan, the reason that movie shows up everywhere we go, is that we have been tasked with delivering it to our final destination while allowing each layover airfield to use it.”
Howell stared at his Airplane Commander as his cognitive impaired brain tried to process. The light finally came on for him, a bit dim, but it came on. “Oh, Sir, I see Sir, I’ll tell the boys.”
And off he wandered, not in the direction of the boys, but in the direction of his bunk, taking his comrades threat to not return with bad news seriously.
About the Author
I am, by my own admission, a reluctant writer. But there are stories that demand to to be told. When we hear them, we must pick up our pen, lest we forget, and the stories be lost. Six years ago, in a quiet conversation with my friend Marvin, I learned the tragic story his father, a WW2 B-29 Airplane Commander, shot down over Nagoya, Japan just months before the end of the war.
Bill Clinton has famously said: “They were the fathers we never knew, the uncles we never met, the friends who never returned, the heroes we can never repay. They gave us our world. And those simple sounds of freedom we hear today are their voices speaking to us across the years.”
Such a man was Marv’s father. A father he never knew. The telling of the story that evening by this half orphan was so moving and full of emotion, it compelled me to ask if I could write the story. The result being “They Called Him Marvin.”
My life has been profoundly touched in so many ways by being part of documenting this sacred story. I pray that we never forget, as a people, the depth of sacrifice that was made by ordinary people like Marvin and his father and mother on our behalf.
My career as an addiction counsellor (CDP) led me to write “The Waterfall Concept; A Blueprint for Addiction Recovery,” and co-author “Reclaiming Your Addicted Brain.”
After my counselling retirement, I decided I wanted to learn more about the craft of writing and started attending classes at Portland Oregon’s Attic Institute. What I learned is that there are an amazing number of great writers in my area, and they were willing to help others improve their skills. I am grateful to many of them.
My next project is already underway, a memoir of growing in SW Washington called “Life on a Sorta Farm.” My wife of 49 years, Susan and I still live in that area.
We raised seven children and have eleven grandchildren. We love to travel and see the sites and cultures of the world. I still get on my bicycle whenever I can. They Called Him Marvin
Click the link below for a chance to win a signed copy of the book! (Open to everyone)
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January 18, 2022
A Wallflower’s Guide to Becoming a Bride by Eva Devon, Tamara Gill, & Stacy Reid excerpts plus a giveaway
A Wallflower’s Guide to Becoming a Bride
Eva Devon, Tamara Gill, & Stacy Reid
Publication date: October 14th 2021
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance
A Wallflower’s Kiss by Eva Devon
Lady Ophelia is the last of her sisters to be unmarried! She knows she has to find a husband, but she’s been on the shelf for three seasons. When she finds a mysterious guide in Hatchards she forms a plan!
It just so happens that her brother’s best friend is happy to help her practice the instructions in the guide. Until they’re caught of course! Can the guide lead to happy ever after, or will scandal ruin Lady Ophelia’s chances?
A Brazen Agreement by Tamara Gill
Miss Sutton Howard needs to marry, and soon, there are only so many years a lady can endure the title of Wallflower. After a disappointing first season and the many that followed, her sixth will be her last and most successful. The Wallflowers Guide will ensure her season ends well. All she needs to do is find a gentleman suitable to be her husband.
Logan Carleton, Earl Jersey, knows it’s time to find a wife, if only the one woman he had lost through no fault of his own several years ago, wasn’t still on the market and complicating his life in London. Their bickering is no use, and before they cause another scandal, they must work together to gain what they both desire, spouses, just not with each other.
But when two people are thrown together with an entwined history, complications arise, along with desires that may not be smothered a second time no matter how hard they try.
A Duke at Midnight by Stacy Reid
Miss Sarah Bellamy hopes to meet a gentleman at midnight, before she settles into the respectable and lonely life of a governess to two little girls. And her dreams come true. In the dark of the night, she is willingly seduced by a devastatingly handsome gentleman.
One night of bliss to discover he is not only a Duke but her future employer. A difficult adjustment to be so near and yet so far from the man of her dreams. She tries to suppress all hopes of more but finds herself inexorably drawn to the one man she knows she cannot have…
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Only 99¢ for a limited time!
—
SNEAK PEEKS:
A Brazen Agreement by Tamara Gill
When decidedly on the shelf, a lady must sometimes take matters into her own hands and throw rules aside and do what one must to gain a husband.
Sutton raised her brows. Well, what did that mean? Was the guide giving her permission to misbehave? She pursed her lips in thought before the sound of another patron talking nearby caught her attention. Sutton slammed the book closed and quickly slid it back under the bookcase just as a couple passed her farther down the aisle. Sutton left the store, walking back to Hanover Square with determined strides, her maid hard on her heels. One must take one’s life into her own hands if one were to gain a husband.
Which would mean she had to be determined and go after what she wanted. She stopped on the footpath in thought. Did she like any gentleman enough for her to behave in such a way? To act instead of waiting for the gentleman to always come to her?
Sutton started off again, stepping around a large gentleman before slamming directly into a wall of muscle. She stumbled back, her footing beyond redemption before she landed with an oomph on the flagstone path. “Oww,” she complained, stopping herself from rolling a little and rubbing her behind in a most unladylike way. She glanced up, about to give a set down to the oaf who had run into her before the words dried up in her mouth. The horrified sight of Lord Jersey met her eyes. Logan Carleton. Of course, it was him she had slammed into. No one else would get in her way like that man did.
Ass that he was.
—
A Duke at Midnight by Stacy Reid
“Are you suddenly shy?” she asked in a tone rich with warm amusement. “I assure you, I am aware ladies and gentlemen alike attend masquerade balls to indulge in their wicked sides, the sides they would normally leave to languish and collect dust motes.”
Detecting the wistful hunger in her voice, Robert was struck with the sudden desire to fulfill her needs. And perhaps in doing so he might fulfill some of his needs, soothing the chill of loneliness that had lived with him for five years. “Should I confess it to you your sensibilities will be shocked.”
Her soft laugh was one of curiosity and want.
“I daresay no one has ever tried to shock them before. Please do your worst; I am made of stern stuff.”
Robert was becoming increasingly charmed. “I am glad I listened to my cousin, or I would have missed meeting you.”
“Clearly you procrastinate to spare my sensibilities. My good sir, I came here tonight to find a rake like you.”
“And you are so certain I am a rake, hmm?”
“A gentleman would have returned inside the instant I sat unwittingly in the dark beside him,” she said huskily.
“Very well then,” he drawled. “Will you be my lover for the night?”
Her sigh was one of relief and pleasure. There was no hesitation or doubt in her. Here was a woman who knew what she wanted and was about to take it.
Author Bio:
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, Eva Devon, was raised on literary fiction, but quite accidentally and thankfully, she was introduced to romance one Christmas by Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory novella, The Present. A romance addict was born. She devoured every single Lindsey novel within a few months and moved on to contemporary and paranormal with gusto. Now, she loves to write her own roguish dukes, alpha males and the heroines who tame them. She loves to hear from her readers. So please pen her a note! evadevonauthor@gmail.com
Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram—Tamara is an Australian author who grew up in an old mining town in country South Australia, where her love of history was founded. So much so, she made her darling husband travel to the UK for their honeymoon, where she dragged him from one historical monument and castle to another.
A mother of three, her two little gentlemen, a future lady (she hopes) keep her busy in the real world, but whenever she gets a moment’s peace she loves to write romance novels in an array of genres, including regency, medieval, and time travel.
Tamara loves hearing from readers and writers alike. You can contact her through her website at www.tamaragill.com.
Author links:
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USA Today Bestselling author Stacy Reid writes sensual Historical and Paranormal Romances and is the published author of over twenty books. Her debut novella The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding was a 2015 HOLT Award of Merit recipient in the Romance Novella category, and her bestselling Wedded by Scandal series is recommended as Top picks at Night Owl Reviews, Fresh Fiction Reviews, and The Romance Reviews.
Stacy lives a lot in the worlds she creates and actively speaks to her characters (aloud). She has a warrior way “Never give up on dreams!” When she’s not writing, Stacy spends a copious amount of time binge-watching series like The Walking Dead, Altered Carbon, Rise of the Phoenixes, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, and playing video games with her love. She also has a weakness for ice cream and will have it as her main course.
To be the first to hear about my new releases, get cover reveals and excerpts you won’t find anywhere else, sign up for my Newsletter @ https://www.stacyreid.com/#newsletter/
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January 17, 2022
The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick plus a giveaway
The North Wind
Alexandria Warwick
(The Four Winds, #1)
Publication date: January 13th 2022
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Lush. Dark. Romantic. Introducing a newly reimagined tale written in the vein of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone.
Long before civilization, there were the gods. And before the gods, there was the earth, the celestial bodies, and air given flesh. They are the Anemoi—the Four Winds—and they have been banished to the four corners of the world.
Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. Her parents are gone. Survival is all she knows. For three hundred years, the land known as the Gray has been encased in ice, surrounded by a great barrier called the Shade, which protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond.
But day by day, the Shade weakens.
Only one thing can stop the Shade’s fall: a mortal woman taken captive across the barrier, bound in wedlock to the dark god who reigns over the Deadlands. He is the North Wind, the Frost King, an immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules.
And the time has come for the Frost King to choose his bride.
The North Wind is a standalone, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, the first in a series sprinkled with Greek lore. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Laura Thalassa, and Scarlett St. Clair.
Excerpt
“Orla will see to your needs,” he says, producing a brass key and unlocking the door. “These are your chambers. Once you’re settled, you may roam the citadel freely, but you may not pass beyond the wall.”
“You don’t trust me?” I already know the answer. I’m just curious of his reaction.
“No.” His eyelashes lower, dark fringe upon pale cheekbones. “Run, and you will not get far. The forest dislikes my presence as it is. The citadel is the safest place for you.”
He speaks as though the forest is sentient. I tuck that piece of information away to examine at a later time. “And where are your rooms?”
“They are located in the north wing, which you are not to enter.”
He pushes open the door, but I hesitate in stepping across the threshold. “What happens after we are married? Am I expected to share your bed?” I’m not even sure he would be gentle in his bedding. I can’t forget that slithering black emotion I glimpsed back at Edgewood, something feral lurking in the background.
“You will not need to worry about that. We keep separate chambers.” With that, he nudges me through and snaps the door shut behind me. Soon enough, his footsteps die. I try the ornately carved handle. It doesn’t budge.
I’m locked in.
“You bastard!” I scream, pounding the solid wood. My sedate mask slips free, and I grow wild, slamming my fist against the barrier.
Breathing hard, I step away to study the room. My room. Chambers, rather, with their vaulted ceilings and distant walls. Enormous, like the rest of this place. And cold. It is like a corpse, the ribs pried open, the cavern empty where a heart once thrummed. The furniture all but sags under the dripping opulence, heavy, solid-colored fabric in saturated reds and golds to match the bedding. Gilded mirrors. A gleaming four-poster bed frame, dark red wood. A fireplace with a wide, empty mouth. Rugs, so many rugs, exquisitely plush. Doorways that lead to interconnecting rooms.
A sudden wave of fatigue drags me down, and I sag onto the mattress, scrubbing my chapped hands down my equally chapped face. The chill air scratches at my skin, and I am alone.
I am alone.
My teeth begin to chatter. Curling my arms around my cramping stomach, I hunch forward, rocking back and forth, yet comfort evades me. I am a mortal woman in a dark god’s realm. I have no family, no support. Am I to remain here for the next forty, fifty, sixty years? Is this how I will die? A prisoner, an animal in a cage? I’ll never be able to return to my old life. Not while the Frost King lives.
The rocking motion slows, and I stare at the curtain-veiled windows with a frown. Something compels me to stride toward them and take the thick fabric in hand. With a mighty yank, I tear the curtains from their rods.
The sudden brightness makes me flinch. I assess the moonlit courtyard below with a critical eye, noting the stables to the left, the thick, towering wall, the black iron gates, the barren landscape beyond the enclosed grounds.
Not while the Frost King lives.
I came here expecting to die. But I have never been, and never will be, weak.
And so I return to books. I return to knowledge. I return to what I know, information gathered over the years, the tales and stories passed down.
This is what I know: the North Wind is a god. His power is limitless. He is immortal, can live forever, unless he is killed. But a god cannot die by a mortal-made weapon.
It’s why the knife in his gut didn’t kill him. Only a god-touched weapon has the power to end an immortal life, a tool created by the gods, for the gods. There is the spear he wields, its strange, alien power. The dagger sheathed at his hip.
He cannot know of the serpent he has released from its nest. For years I have suffered, my people have suffered, but now I am in the unique position to sever this snake at its head. If the Frost King dies, so does his eternal cold. So do the darkwalkers. So, too, does the Shade.
Only then will I be free.
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Author Bio:
Alexandria Warwick is the #1 fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is the author of The Demon Race and the North series.
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January 13, 2022
Love on the Run by Suzanne Rylee Ridolfi plus a giveaway
Love on the Run
Suzanne Rylee Ridolfi
Publication date: January 11th 2022
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance
Lily Hart is the semi-famous host of Love Lily, a podcast dedicated to love and relationships. Her bubbly enthusiasm for all things romance has caught the eye of a few swanky sponsors who offer her the chance to host a Valentine’s Day mega event. Unfortunately, Lily’s own happily-ever-after has hit a rocky patch. She’s not sure if Henry, her longtime boyfriend, is even the one. When they decide to discuss things over dinner, Lily’s left questioning everything she knows about love. She panics and calls for a getaway car.
Blaze Steel thinks the notion of love is a mythical fable made up to ruin his life. Instead of relationships he pours his energy into the opening of his new bar the Steel Taproom. Until it’s up and running, however, Blaze is forced to continue his duties as an Uber driver. When a frantic Lily jumps into the backseat of his car, Blaze doesn’t know what hit him. All he knows is he hopes he never has to lay eyes on this woman again.
Fate has different plans for them, as their paths continue to cross. When Lily realizes she can’t show up to her own event dateless, Blaze reluctantly agrees. No feelings, just a plus one. How hard could it be? After all, they’re the last couple in the world who would ever fall in love.
*For fans of sweet romance, Debbie Macomber books, and all things Hallmark. There is no steam, sweet short read.
—
EXCERPT:
“It’s your counseling session, not mine. The dollars are adding up. Just let me know when you are ready to put me out of my misery and drop you off.”
“Well, that wasn’t very nice. I’m paying you handsomely so the least you could do is be nice.”
“I don’t do nice,” he says, gruffly.
I scrunch up my nose in an attempt to create an angry face at the grumpy driver. I inch my body forward to try to get a better look. It’s the first time I’ve actually looked at the man that I’ve spent the last few hours divulging my deepest insecurities to. The first thing I notice is the sandy colored hipster man-bun that sits on the back of his head. His chiseled jaw appears clenched. He does have a remarkable profile, with a nose sculpted to perfection. The five o’clock shadow hides just enough for intrigue. Beneath his thermal I see the shape of remarkably muscular biceps. The right sleeve is pushed up a bit, revealing tattoos covering his forearm. He is everything Henry is not. He can’t possibly digest the raw emotions of the situation. The front wheels hit an ice patch and the rear end swerves to the left. My body slams into the back of his seat. His muscular arms tug tight on the wheel to regain traction. In all my sobbing, I hadn’t paid much attention to the state of the roads or the crushing snowstorm barreling down on us.
My heart rises to my throat. It’s the first time that I have proof I still have a heart after my inexcusable actions. “I, I guess we could do a drive by first,” my voice struggles to eek out.
“Is that Kelly Drive?”
“Yes, that’s the address.”
And what does “drive by“ mean?” His eyes remain on the road. The car catches a slick slice of pavement, and we veer toward the curb.
The wheels struggle to gain traction on the icy pavement as my street comes into view. A wave of panic twists my stomach into a corset. “A drive by, I’m sure you did them a thousand times to see if a girl was home or had company etc. you know everyone does them.”
His blue eyes stretch under his raised eyebrows.
I continue, “I’ll lay down on the seat. You check if it’s safe to return.”
“What the hell does safe look like?” he barks.
“Tell me if Lola is in the window. If someone is home, she’s never in the window.”
“Who the hell is Lola?”
“She’s a white Shih tzu.” He shakes his head. I drop my body onto the seat. He pulls to a stop and the car continues to slide. “You can come up now. Your watch dog is still on duty. That will be $403.59.”
I’m propelled to an upright position. “You can’t be serious?”
“Dead serious. You hijacked my entire night. And I charge double in bad weather.”
Tears well up from deep inside, even though I was sure there were none left. “I, I’m sorry, you’re right. I messed up this whole night.” My fingers ruffle through my purse scrambling for money. I find a five in the zip front of the interior. A ten-dollar bill in my wallet and two crumpled dollar bills under my glass case.
“Oh, for God’s sake, just get out,” he barks.
“Take this. It’s all I have right now. If you come back tomorrow, I promise I’ll pay you the rest.”
“Lady, you couldn’t pay me enough to come back tomorrow.”
“Thank you, what did you say your name is?”
“I didn’t.”
I open the door and step out; ice engulfs my heel. One foot begins to slide to the left and the other heads right. Clinging mercilessly to the door handle, I struggle to get traction. My legs begin to delve into a straddle. He appears over me. He’s much taller than I expected. With one hand he scoops me up and props me onto my feet, then slams the door and heads to his side of the car.
My eyes meet his, I smile at his chivalry. With a half-crooked smile I say, “The weather is horrendous. Text me to let me know you got home okay.”
“Not gonna happen,” he says before jumping in the car, slamming his door, and driving away.
Author Bio:
Rylee is a hopeless romantic. She loves a cozy fireplace, a furry blanket and a romantic book. She strives to bring lovable characters to life.This has resulted in the creation of some of the most awkwardly charming heroines that are guaranteed to steal your heart. She’s a believer in happily ever after and is mildly addicted to fabulous shoes. She loves writing about her favorite things- Christmas, fashion, family, and the ability to go for your dream, no matter how grand. When not writing you can find her spending time with her husband and three children at their home in New Jersey.
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The Last Cowboy by Jan Herrman with giftcard giveaway
Welcome to the book tour for historical fiction novel, The Last Cowboy by Jan Herrman. Read on for more details and a chance to win a $25 Amazon e-gift card!
The Last Cowboy
Publication Date: November 7th, 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
As the romanticized period of the American “wild” West wound down, most cowboys rode off into the sunset. Hank Miller must follow a different path. In The Last Cowboy, he survives the Civil War, Texas sized desperados, and the great San Francisco earthquake. With a debt to pay, Hank will place himself and his twin sons in great danger in a new, wild and untamed frontier—Morocco!
This is a sweeping tale of a reluctant hero of the West. It is also a story of romance and international adventure, stretching from west Texas to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, London, Tangier and the Moroccan Rif. The novel spans an equally expansive time frame: 1860 to 1912. The backdrop is the American frontier with all its enduring myths and troubling realities.
Ultimately, his heroism earns Hank unexpected wealth, friends on three continents, and the love of an extraordinary woman. Now ensconced in a mansion in the most exclusive neighborhood of San Francisco, Hank has a beautiful wife and three remarkable children. He wants nothing more than to enjoy them all and the highly successful international tour business he and Beth now operate. But a last, perilous mission awaits. Hank has a debt to pay and a friend to rescue in a far off land.
Available on Amazon
About the Author
Jan is a retired physician living with his wife, a practicing pediatrician in Southern California. Their children have all flown the coop. Amazon Click the link below for a chance to win a $25 Amazon e-gift card! Rafflecopter Book Tour Organized By:
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April 7, 2016
Authors In Bloom Ereader Giveaway
WIN A KINDLE OR NOOK OR A $25 GIFT CARD
GARDENING TIPS 
I live in the country and rabbits are the thorn in my side. Although adorable, they play havoc in my garden. I have found a couple ways to keep those pesky critters from my flowers. First, I plant marigolds. They don’t like the smell. When I deadhead the marigolds, I sprinkle the seeds from the old flowers around the rest of my flower bed. Not only does it help keep the rabbits out, but I often get free-growing plants the next year.
I also put bright pinwheels in my flower beds. They seem to frighten the bunnies with their constant movement and add some colorful fun to the landscape. What tricks do you use to keep the critters away? (Humane answers only, please.) Or tell me your favorite spring or summer flower.
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Please click rafflecopter above to enter the daily giveaway. I am giving away digital books, a signed copy of Dante’s Gift and a $5 Amazon gift card or Paypal bucks. The first two books in my new series “Just For Sh*#$ and Giggles Short Stories (daily for random commenters) and the print copy and gift card at the end of the hop. International winners will receive a gift card or paypal bucks.
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