Guest Post – The Duke’s Daughter

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

Tags

Sasha Cottman, The Duke of Strathmore Series, The Duke's Daughter

This has got to be one of the coolest guest posts I’ve had on this site. Sasha Cottman, whose newest book The Duke’s Daughter is out now (and sounds fabulous), also cooks up Regency era recipes to go along with her historical novels. And she was kind enough to share a yummy dessert with us … so very suh-weet of her!

Make sure that you check out her social links below so you can go to her site where she recreates other recipes (with mixed results 🙂 )

*****

Paris certainly gives London a run for its money when it comes to excellent food.

-The Duke’s Daughter

Pear Tarte Tatin

My daughter had to make a French three course dinner for school, this blog post is a nod to the great French Pear Tarte-Tatin recipe.

While the history of the Tarte-Tatin dates to the later period of the 1880’s from the Tatin sisters, it is commonly accepted in France that the recipe is based on one which had been used throughout the country for many years.

Ingredients

30g softened butter

¼ cup brown sugar

3 soft ripe pears, peeled and sliced

1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Grease a 4cm-deep, 20cm (base) round cake pan. Line base with baking paper. (We used a baking dish because we didn’t have a cake pan, it really made no difference).

Mix the sugar and butter together in a saucepan and melt.

Pour into the cake pan. Arrange pear slices over base of pan, slightly overlapping.

Using the cake pan as a guide, cut a 21cm round from the pastry sheet. Place pastry round over pears, tucking pastry into side of pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden. The butter and sugar should have created a lovely caramel sauce in the pears and the pan.

Pear Tart served

We had ours with vanilla ice-cream.

Bon Appetite

*****

The Duke’s Daughter

The Duke of Strathmore Series

by Sasha Cottman

Blurb:

When handsome army officer Avery Fox unexpectedly inherits a fortune, he instantly becomes one of the season’s most eligible bachelors. More accustomed to the battlefield, he has no patience with the naive debutantes who fill the ballrooms of London.

Honest and impetuous Lady Lucy Radley is a breath of fresh air, guiding him through the season and helping him to avoid any traps. So when Avery is left with little option but to marry Lucy, he can’t help but feel he’s been manipulated. Nor can he shake the feeling that a duke’s daughter should be out of his reach.

From the wildly beautiful Scottish Highlands to the elegant soirees of Paris, Avery and Lucy go on a journey that is full of surprises for them both. But will their feelings for each other be strong enough to overcome the circumstances of their marriage and survive the ghosts of Avery’s past?

THE DUKE OF STRATHMORE SERIES:

Letter from a Rake

An Unsuitable Match

The Duke’s Daughter

The Duke’s Daughter is available at the following eretailers.

Amazon | Amazon Australia | iTunes | Googleplay | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

Chapter One

By every measure of her own behaviour, Lady Lucy Radley knew this was the worst.

‘You reckless fool,’ she muttered under her breath as she headed back inside and into the grand ballroom.

The room was a crush of London’s social elite. Every few steps she had to stop and make small talk with friends or acquaintances. A comment here and there about someone’s gown or promising a social call made for slow going.

Finally she spied her cousin, Eve. She fixed a smile to her face as Eve approached.

‘Where have you been, Lucy? I’ve been searching everywhere for you.’

‘I was just outside admiring the flowers on the terrace.’

Eve frowned, but the lie held.

Another night, another ball in one of London’s high-society homes. In one respect Lucy would be happy when the London social season ended in a few weeks; then she would be free to travel to her family home in Scotland and go tramping across the valleys and mountain paths, the chill wind ruffling her hair.

She puffed out her cheeks. With the impending close of the season came an overwhelming sense of failure. Her two older brothers, David and Alex, had taken wives. Perfect, love-filled unions with delightful girls, each of whom Lucy was happy to now call sister.

Her newest sister-in-law, Earl Langham’s daughter Clarice, was already in a delicate condition, and Lucy suspected it was only a matter of time before her brother Alex and his wife Millie shared some good news.

For herself, this season had been an unmitigated disaster on the husband-hunting front. The pickings were slim at best. Having refused both an earl and a viscount the previous season, she suspected other suitable gentlemen now viewed her as too fussy. No gentleman worth his boots wanted a difficult wife. Only the usual group of fortune-hunters, intent on getting their hands on her substantial dowry, were lining up at this stage of the season to ask her to dance. Maintaining her pride as the daughter of a duke, she refused them all.

Somewhere in the collective gentry of England there must be a man worthy of her love. She just had to find him.

What a mess.

‘You are keeping something from me,’ Eve said, poking a finger gently into Lucy’s arm.

Lucy shook her head. ‘It’s nothing. I suspect I am suffering from a touch of ennui. These balls all begin to look the same after a while. All the same people, sharing the same gossip.’

‘Oh dear, and I thought I was having a bad day,’ Eve replied.

‘Sorry, I was being selfish. You are the one who needs a friend to cheer her up,’ Lucy replied. She kissed her cousin gently on the cheek.

Eve’s brother William had left London earlier that day to return to his home in Paris, and she knew her cousin was taking his departure hard.

‘Yes, well, I knew I could sit at home and cry, or I could put on a happy face and try to find something to smile about,’ Eve replied.

Eve’s father had tried without success to convince his son to return permanently to England. With the war now over and Napoleon toppled from power, everyone expected William Saunders to come home immediately, but it had taken two years for him to make the journey back to London.

‘Perhaps once he gets back to France and starts to miss us all again, he shall have a change of heart,’ Lucy said.

‘One can only hope. Now, let’s go and find a nice quiet spot and you can tell me what you were really doing out in the garden. Charles Ashton came in the door not a minute before you, and he had a face like thunder. As I happened to see the two of you head out into the garden at the same time a little while ago, I doubt Charles’ foul temper was because he found the flowers not to his liking,’ Eve replied.

*****

Author Info:

Sasha Cottman’s debut novel was published in 2013. Letter from a Rake, was a Romantic Book of the Year finalist in 2014 and won the Book Junkies Choice Award in 2014.

Her books are centred on the theme of love, honour and family. Her current book series, The Duke of Strathmore, covers the story of the love lives of a group of siblings and their cousins.

Sasha’s second novel An Unsuitable Match, was a four time ARRA finalist in 2015. The third book in the Duke of Strathmore series, The Duke’s Daughter, was released in August 2015.

Sasha divides her time between the city of Melbourne, Australia and her family beach retreat at Torquay. She and her family have discovered all the places the family cat disappears to whenever it realises they are about to head home on a Sunday night.

Before accidently enrolling in a course for romance writers a number of years ago, she had always had a love of history. While her writing career may appear at odds with her professional career as a finance executive, it means she can spot a poorly written company board report at twenty feet.

A self-confessed ‘hopeless’ cook, she writes a blog, In the Regency Kitchen, where she recreates recipes from the Regency/Georgian era. Her family have so far managed to survive being the test subjects of her culinary efforts.

The little time she has left during the week and weekends is spent trying to beat her husband at Fitbit challenges and trying to find where the pair to that sock really went.

Sasha is published by Destiny Romance a digital imprint of Penguin Random House.

You can follow Sasha and find out more about her and her books on her website:

http://www.sashacottman.com

For her In the Regency Kitchen Blog where she attempts to recreate Regency Recipes with mixed success http://www.sashacottman.com/in-the-regency-kitchen

Follow her on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/sashacottman

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sashacottmanauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7136108.Sasha_Cottman

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sashacottman/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00DH2ACPG

Sasha’s newest release The Duke’s Daughter is released through Destiny Romance.

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qq65ZbPmwc

Spotlight – Mystic Mayhem

22 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Jean Steffens, Mystic Isle Mystery series, Mystic Mayhem, Sally J. Smith

Now something a little special for those who like the funny and the love-y to go along with their mystery.

*****

The Inspiration for our Mystic Isle Series

The Magic Castle in the hills above Hollywood Boulevard is the headquarters and private clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts, Inc., a worldwide organization devoted to the art of magic. Its membership consists of magicians as well as those who just love magic. If you ever have the chance to go there, DO. It’s mysterious, haunting, spellbinding, and a little creepy.

The Magic Castle was the inspiration for Mystic Isle Mysteries, our new series debuting September 15th from Gemma Halliday Publishing. Our series takes place in the bayou near New Orleans, Louisiana on Mystic Isle where The Mansion at Mystic Isle is now open and taking guests. It’s a place similar to the Magic Castle only Mystic Isle is dedicated to all that’s magical and paranormal. Its guests experience the skills of magicians, mediums, fortunetellers, astrologers, and much more. Of course, none of it is real—or is it?

*****

Mystic Mayhem

A Mystic Isle Mystery

by Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens

Humorous Cozy Mystery – Gemma Halliday Publishing

Blurb:

Melanie Hamilton is not your average artist. She brings home the bacon by inking tattoos at New Orleans’s Mansion at Mystic Isle, a resort in the middle of the bayou that caters to fans of the peculiar and paranormal, but her true passion comes alive when she volunteers restoring Katrina-ravaged landmarks. Between her day job, her restoration work, and selling her paintings in Jackson Square, Mel’s life is more hectic than Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday. But when a guest of the resort, a millionaire’s widow, is poisoned, and Melanie’s close friend is arrested for the murder, things go from hectic to downright dangerous.
Mel joins forces with the resort’s delish manager, Jack Stockton, to prove her friend’s innocence. Soon they find themselves dealing with séances, secret passages, the ghost of the millionaire himself, gators, swamp rats, and a sinister killer who proves that not everything is what it seems in the Louisiana bayou.

Come on along, and get your creep on.

Buy links: Gemma Halliday Publishing Nook iBooks Kobo Smashwords Amazon

Subscribe to the newsletter to receive email alerts when new books are available.

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRca7hgX0-8

*****

Excerpt:

Séances were held in a small but lovely room where Miss Marple might serve tea. Burgundy drapes swagged corner to corner. Blue flames flickered low in the fireplace courtesy of a special-effects chemical log Fabrizio swore would bring up the ambiance.

A medium-sized round table sat smack in the middle of the room, seven chairs around it and a purple cloth covering it. The lights were low. So many candles were lit that the place was warm enough for bread to rise.

Fabrizio was already there, looking nervous as a crawfish next to a pot on the boil. He knew, and I knew, and he knew I knew he wasn’t exactly what you’d call a genuine medium, but I had to give him credit. He looked like one, every inch, from the top of his turbaned head to the bottoms of his white patent-leather boots. His long face glistened with perspiration.

“Fabrizio,” I said. “Why don’t we blow out a few of these candles? Your makeup and eyeliner are going to run.”

He nodded, and I set about doing it. The poor guy had to be pretty warm. His long-sleeved white jumpsuit was layered under a full-length sequined white cape. A cross between the Great Houdini and Liberace.

Within a few minutes, Mrs. Cecile Elway and company arrived. Five in all, just like at dinner the night before. There were low murmurs of appreciation as they glanced around the room, taking in the whole experience.

*****

Author Info:

Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens, are partners in crime—crime writing, that is. They live in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona, awesome for eight months out of the year, an inferno the other four. They write bloody murder, flirty romance, and wicked humor all in one package.

Website: http://www.smithandsteffens.com

Email: smithandsteffens@cox.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smith-and-Steffens/406147242823342?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?q=SmithSteffens&src=typd

*****

Giveaway:

Two great giveaways going on right now !!

#1 Giveaway: http://www.smithandsteffens.com/signup.html

To celebrate the release of MYSTIC MAYHEM on September 15, Jean and Sally are giving away an awesome New Orleans Café du Monde basket full of goodies from the Big Easy—13 ounces of French Roast coffee, 13 ounces of Chicory Coffee, a box of their world famous Beignet Mix, and two gorgeous Café du Monde mugs to put you in the mood while you’re visiting Mystic Isle. Entering’s a breeze. Just go to the ABOVE LINK between now and September 30, & sign up! Winner to be selected via random.org.

#2 Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c7458f4374/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Spotlight – The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Erica Ridley, The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride, The Dukes of War series

Y’all I can’t wait to read this one. I’ve been loving this series and this one looks like it could be the best one yet!

*****

The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride

The Dukes of War series

by Erica Ridley

Blurb:

Miss Sarah Fairfax is having a wretched year. Her intended perished at war. His child is in her belly. To secure her future, she resigns herself to a loveless marriage. Just as she’s about to say I do, her fiancée returns from the grave to crash the wedding… but he’s no longer the charming, carefree man she remembers.

After being left for dead on the battlefield, Brigadier Edmund Blackpool is scarred inside and out. He fights his way home only to discover his intended before the altar with his best friend. He’ll be the one to marry her, no matter what she wants! But when his new bride disappears with his child, he must reopen his wounds to win the most important battle of his life.

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/tbrbamzpr

Apple iBooks: http://apple.co/1J5CfyO

Nook: http://bit.ly/dw5-NOOK

Kobo: http://bit.ly/tbrb-KOBO

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/GPtbrb

*****

Excerpt:

Edmund flew across the cobblestone streets as fast as the stallion could carry him. Sweat raced down his back despite the bitter March wind. Devil take it. If he was too late… If the woman who’d haunted his dreams ended up someone else’s wife…

He lowered his head against the wind and urged the stallion as fast as he dared. ’Twas wretched out. The streets were slippery with icy pockets of snow. Teeming with carriages and pedestrians. The stench of horse manure and dirt. Edmund hated it all. The clamor, the crowds, the chaos. London was repellant.

It was too much like war. Like being lost. Like the endless nightmares of chasing after his brother, running toward the other soldiers, and always being left behind. He’d woken in cold sweats then. No wonder he was reliving it now.

But a wedding was underway, and he had to stop it.

Sarah was the one bright light in the darkness of his world. Pure and sweet and beautiful, she was everything he desired. Everything he’d longed for all those lonely nights. The heat of her skin. The scent of her hair. The feel of her body as he lifted her slender form above him and—

Ravenwood House rose against the blinding sunset like a dragon unfurling its wings. It was not a small part of a crescent of row houses. Its three floors and two annexes were the crescent.

Edmund’s jaw tightened. The stallion reared at the sight as if it, too, sensed danger lurking within those elegant walls.

There were no longer pedestrians crowding the pristine road. No life of any kind. Any visiting carriages had already been tucked out of sight inside the mews. And of course, nothing so gauche as a hired hackney dared sit idle before the grand ducal estate.

Tough. Edmund tucked his head and raced his horse right over the manicured grass of the front lawn. If Ravenwood’s perfect garden got mussed, so be it. There was no time to waste.

As Edmund neared the front door, servants streamed out of the estate in alarm. He leapt from the stallion and tossed the reins to the closest gaping footman before shouldering his way inside the mansion.

Of course the servants wouldn’t invite him to enter. He hadn’t been to Ravenwood House since he’d purchased his commission four years ago, so the staff was unlikely to recognize him.

He also knew he looked a fright. Tattered, mismatched clothing. Scarred face covered by a five-week beard. A scowl fierce enough to terrify the devil himself—and with good reason. If Edmund was too late to stop the ceremony…

“Where’s the wedding?” he snarled to the housemaids.

One of them keeled into the others in a dead faint.

A male voice broke in. “Sir, I’m afraid you’ll have to…”

Edmund whirled to face Ravenwood’s butler, whose jaw dropped with the shock of recognition. “Master Blackpool?”

“Where are they?” Edmund demanded, his voice hoarse. “I have to stop the wedding.”

“Master Blackpool, it is splendid to see you alive and… well, alive, sir, but I cannot in good conscience allow you to thwart His Grace’s wishes, particularly on this day of—”

“The alcove of the back parlor,” gasped one of the maids. “The blue one, next to the billiards room.”

“Agnes.” One of the other servants grabbed the maid’s arm. “You’ll be sacked for this!”

“But it’s all so romantic…”

Edmund missed whatever else was said because he was already tearing down the corridor toward the rear of the mansion.

He hadn’t forgotten the way. As a young man, he, his twin brother, and their three closest friends—Xavier Grey, Oliver York, and the Duke of Ravenwood—had spent many a lazy evening drinking the duke’s port and battling for temporary dominance over the billiards table. It had all seemed terribly important and worldly when Edmund was but a young buck of seventeen years.

He was now six-and-twenty and this particular battle for dominance would determine the fate of the rest of his life.

His breath quickened. On the ride over, he hadn’t let himself think of anything except getting back to Sarah. No good would come of wondering how she’d wound up in the arms of Edmund’s (better looking, better moneyed, better mannered) lifelong friend. It didn’t matter. She was his.

The fact that Edmund’s own brother had apparently come along to witness the unholy event also did not bear contemplating. There was no room in Edmund’s atrophied heart to feel betrayed or wounded, when he was so bloody thrilled to discover his brother was even alive. The rest would come later. He and Bartholomew were twins. The best of friends. Inseparable and indistinguishable. Edmund had dreamed of being reunited with his brother almost as often as he’d dreamed of being reunited with Sarah.

And he would not let the Duke of Ravenwood stop him.

Edmund flung open the parlor door and charged forward bellowing, “Stop!” as he raced up the makeshift aisle.

The first thing he saw was her hair. Thick and chestnut and familiar, the long tresses had been gathered up in a shiny mass and pinned to the back of her head, just as it had been in Bruges. She was his siren. He could already smell her soap and feel the softness of her dark brown curls as he plucked the pins free one by one.

As if responding to the force of his thoughts, the power of his love, Sarah turned to face him.

Edmund pulled up short. His stomach dropped, his jaw dropped, his bloody heart dropped because Sarah was… pregnant.

Not just pregnant: hugely pregnant. His slender, innocent, doe-eyed bride had doubled in size since last he’d seen her. His stomach dropped. No wonder there was a wedding.

He cut a furious glance toward Ravenwood, who held up his palms and shook his head.

The vicar clutched the cross hanging from his neck and backed away.

“Not Ravenwood,” Sarah said, her voice cracking. “The baby is yours.”

Edmund’s ears roared. If anyone was speaking, he could not hear them. Sarah was pregnant. The baby was his. Sarah was pregnant. He was going to be a father. Sarah was right there in front of him, waiting for his reaction with tears in her eyes.

Edmund’s position had not changed. His will had only been reinforced.

“Stop the wedding.” He marched forward, his gaze locked on hers. “She marries me.”

*****

Author Info:

Erica Ridley is a USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her latest series, The Dukes of War, features charming peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England. When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Website: http://www.EricaRidley.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EricaRidley

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EricaRidley

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/EricaRidley

Spotlight – Rescued by the Ranger

14 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Dixie Lee Brown, Rescued by the Ranger

How about a sexy veteran and his combat dog to kick off the week? Add a little danger into the mix and it’s sure to be fantastic!

*****

Rescued by the Ranger

by Dixie Lee Brown

Releasing September 8, 2015

Avon Impulse

Blurb:

Protecting those in trouble is what Army Ranger Garrett Harding does best. But after helping a feisty redhead toss a couple of losers from her Idaho bar, the woman is anything but grateful for his assistance—in fact, she seems to know him. Worse, she almost certainly hates him.

The only thing Rachel Maguire wants is to send this smart-mouthed, muscled military man packing. She knows Garrett has his own reasons for staying, so when he offers Rachel a deal—two days to prove his worth or he leaves—she reluctantly agrees. Despite wanting to loathe him, Rachel finds herself drawn to his quiet confidence…and the way he fills out a t-shirt.

But when Rachel receives a phone call from the past, everything changes. The stalker who destroyed her life ten years ago is closing in once more. Refusing to put anyone else in harm’s way, Rachel hits the road hoping to lure danger away from those she loves. But Garrett won’t leave this sexy spitfire to face her stalker alone. He’ll do anything to protect her. Even if it means risking his life—and his heart.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25460507-rescued-by-the-ranger

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N| iTunes | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

A faint whine from the shotgun seat jerked Garrett’s attention back to the narrow road hugging the side of a steep mountain in the middle-of-fucking-nowhere, Idaho. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as he came close to the drop-off on his right, and he immediately guided the Jeep closer to the white line down the middle of the chipped and broken asphalt. Clearly, either he was lost, or naming this strip of pavement a state highway was someone’s idea of a joke. Whatever the case, this wouldn’t be the best place to lose his focus. It was a damn-good thing Cowboy was watching out for him, as usual.

Garrett scratched beneath the chin of the German shepherd in the seat beside him, and the dog gave another worried whimper. With no words at his disposal, Cowboy still managed to convey his opinion about the last-minute road trip they’d embarked on late last night, and at this point, Garrett was tempted to agree with him.

“Relax, boy.” Garrett cocked his head toward the navigation system resting on the dash. “Matilda thinks we’re almost there, and she hasn’t gotten us lost in a long time.”

That earned him another whine and a hopeful thump of the dog’s tail. Cowboy’s tongue lolled from the side of his open mouth as he stuck his head out of the window and resumed his panting.

Maybe Garrett should have listened to his little brother Luke. Cowboy might have been better off staying with his father at the senator’s residence in Sacramento. But Garrett had balked when Luke brought it up. The dog belonged with him. Constant companions for the past two years—watching each other’s backs, eating together, sleeping together, flushing out Sunni militants together—Cowboy was the closest thing to a guardian angel Garrett would ever see.

When they’d both been injured in a firefight outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah, Cowboy had not only led them out of the ambush, but also stood guard over him and the other surviving member of their unit until help had arrived in the early hours of the morning. At the field hospital, Garrett had insisted the dog receive the best treatment available and, a couple of weeks later, had pulled out all the stops to secure the necessary approval to bring him home.

He knew what it was like to have someone you love suddenly and permanently disappear. And it wasn’t happening to Cowboy. Not if Garrett could help it. He hadn’t left the dog behind in Iraq, and he wasn’t going to leave him now.

*****

Author Info:

DIXIE LEE BROWN lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by what she believes is the most gorgeous scenery anywhere. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who make sure she never takes herself too seriously. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, movies, and trips to the beach.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

Ten (10) digital downloads of RESCUED BY THE RANGER

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c8773/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Book Review – Enchanted Summer

13 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Book Review, Enchanted Summer, Gloria Gay

Let’s end the weekend with something sweet.

*****

ENCHANTED SUMMER

by Gloria Gay

GENRE – Regency Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – May 14, 2015

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 329

PUBLISHER – Kindle Books/Gloria Gay

COVER ARTIST – Killion Group

Blurb:

When Celia Meade’s uncle impulsively offers Celia and her family a chance at a better life by inviting them to live at his estate near Bath, he is surprised by his daughter Caroline’s animosity against the Meades. Caroline’s hatred of Celia began when Celia attended her aunt’s funeral and Caroline noted the immediate attraction between Celia and Caroline’s choice for a husband, Lord Robert Merrick. Running into each other again in the woods that adjoin Lord Merrick’s property the attraction between Lord Merrick and Celia blossoms into love in the warm days of summer. Enraged that Lord Robert’s sister encourages her brother by planning trips and picnics with Celia, Caroline calls a meeting with her father and Celia, and extracts a promise from Celia to not see Lord Merrick again with the threat that she will force the Meades to leave her house. To ease the tension, Celia accepts a month-long stay at a friend’s home but while Celia is away Caroline plans the downfall of Celia’s family.

AMAZON KINDLE US – http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay-ebook/dp/B00X2RBURK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430683116&sr=1-1&keywords=Enchanted+Summer

AMAZON KINDLE CA – http://www.amazon.ca/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay-ebook/dp/B00X2RBURK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431917189&sr=1-1&keywords=enchanted+summer%2C+gloria+gay

AMAZON KINDLE UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay-ebook/dp/B00X2RBURK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430686838&sr=1-1&keywords=Enchanted+Summer%2C+gloria+gay

AMAZON PAPERBACK – http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Summer-Regency-Gloria-Gay/dp/1512041793/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1430683

GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25537864-enchanted-summer

*****

Excerpt:

She sighed as she saw him busy filling the kettle with water from a keg and measuring tea leaves. He then took two blue and white mugs from a shelf, set them on the table and smiled at Celia. Celia smiled back. It was so easy to smile at Robert.

He seemed at home in the place and knew where everything was kept. Celia had never seen a man engaged in such domestic occupations and he seemed even more endearing to her, if such a thing were possible, as he went about in his preparations.

If there was such a thing as paradise, thought Celia, this was it in essence: a blissful, forbidden paradise. She would never again be as happy as she was at this moment, with the warmth that was beginning to give forth from the fire warming her to a delicious shiver, the scent of pinecones and fir in the air and the woodsy feel of the cabin.

All that was left now for Robert to do was to wait for the water to boil and he came and sat in the sofa near Celia. He seemed at a loss for words, and stood up quickly. He fetched spoons and napkins from a drawer in the table from a cupboard. Celia gazed at him as he did this and when their glances met Robert smiled again at her.

“Have you enjoyed your walk,” he asked and his voice was strained. When she nodded he said, “I hope you will walk here often and I hope…”

Celia waited for him to go on and realized he must have been embarrassed that he had said the word ‘hope’ several times, for a blush was stealing up his neck and cheek and he turned away.

Celia looked at his hands and noticed that they trembled. On impulse she placed her hand over his. The connection was instant. She felt rays of pleasure stealing up her arms clear up to her brain, stunning her with a swirl of pleasure she had never felt before.

Robert took one of her hands and kissed it, slowly and as slowly he pulled her up with him and they embraced. His lips on her neck gave her a floating feeling and as he pressed her closer to him an explosion of feeling coursed in skipping waves along her skin and nerves.

“I love you, Celia,” he whispered in her ear and Celia turned her face so that his lips found hers quickly and the kiss was unlike anything Celia had felt in her life. “I have loved you since the first day I saw you in that awful black gown,” he whispered in her ear, making her smile widely. It was as if she became part of him. He kissed her again and his tongue sent waves of erotic pleasure throughout her body. His hand softly on her breast made her gasp and quietly he led her up to a bed in the loft.

Like a sleepwalker led by a force she was unable to resist, Celia walked up the wooden stairs to the loft with Robert behind her, and when they reached the wide bed and Robert nodded toward it, she lay down on it. She noted vaguely that Robert was taking off her boots and then her bonnet. She floated in a soft cloud as she heard Robert take off his boots and coat, then his cravat.

She knew she would never be alone with Robert again. And she also knew she could not turn away from the swirl of almost unbearable tremors that shook her body with unfamiliar pleasure. He did not insist she take her clothes off as he lay beside her after having taken off his boots. He put his arm under her head and pressed her close to him and Celia felt that she would never in her life feel as sheltered and loved as she was at this moment as she looked deep into Robert’s eyes…

*****

Review:

I enjoyed this one, although it isn’t as tight as I usually like my stories. It was a little more embellished in the writing and there weren’t a lot of true interactions between the characters – more internal dialogue and observations. It kinda reminded me of what I remember Barbara Cartland books being like (and what I imagine Georgette Hayer’s books are like, although I’ve never read any). They are super sweet, with flowery dialogue, and a plot where love triumphs in the end – the good guys get what they deserve and so does the bad guy.

I did like the heroine, who is the character we follow for about 97% of the story – she’s got a very strong sense of familial responsibility and is willing to make sacrifices for them. And I think I could have really liked the hero if we’d had a chance to know him more. He also seems to have a strong family connection but there just wasn’t enough dealings with him to get a good read.

I think that authors like this definitely have an audience and if this is your kind of thing then Gay is definitely a good choice. The trials that these characters go thru on their way to a HEA make for a fun read and you’ll be happy when everything wraps up nicely at the end.

(There were some editing issues in the copy I had but I don’t know if those were cleaned up in the final copy. I saw somewhere that someone else complained about them but I’m not one of those that it bothers so much and they didn’t impact my reading in any way, but that is something else to keep in mind.)

*****

Author Info:

Writing and painting have been Gloria’s main obsessions ever since she can remember. She and her husband consider themselves very lucky to be living in a beautiful place like San Diego, California, but most of all to have their children and grandchildren living nearby.

Enchanted Summer is Gloria’s seventh Regency romance and she has recently published her first time travel romance, A Bridge Through Time. Her other Regencies include the recently published Lovely Little Liar and Scandal at Almack’s, both with Boroughs Publishing Group, as well as Love In A Dangerous Season and Kissed In The Dark which she self-published with Kindle Books.

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – http://www.amazon.com/Gloria-Gay/e/B0065TEP9M/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

WEBSITE / BLOG – http://gloriagay.com

FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/gloria.gay.58?fref=ts

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/gloria_gay

*****

Giveaway:

5 ebooks

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9944253c177/

*****

Book Review – Broken Play

09 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Birmingham Rebels series, Book Review, Broken Play, Samantha Kane

I’ve got one today that may be a little more than some of you want to take on. But those who are brave and a little more daring in your reading, Samantha Kane’s Broken Play delivers a scoring drive.

*****

Broken Play

Birmingham Rebels # 1

by Samantha Kane

Releasing September 1, 2015

Loveswept

Blurb:

Perfect for fans of Shayla Black and Lexi Blake, the deeply sensual new Birmingham Rebels series introduces an unforgettable team of chiseled football gods—and the daring, provocative games they play behind closed doors.

Birmingham Rebels offensive linemen Beau Perez and Cass Zielinski are inseparable, on and off the field. Cass, the captain with the cowboy swagger, is a loose cannon. Beau, the veteran tight end, is cool under pressure. And ever since they were caught on tape in a steamy threesome, their exploits have fueled more than a few tabloid headlines—and naughty fantasies.

Marian Treadwell knows all about the video. And now that she’s the Rebels’ new assistant offensive coach, she can’t look at Beau and Cass without picturing their hard, naked bodies—with her pressed in between. Marian would like nothing more than to indulge those impulses, but she knows better than to get too close to her players, a bunch of adrenaline-fueled alpha males who don’t always follow the rules.

Just the thought of sharing the gorgeous yet guarded Marian drives Cass wild. At first, Beau isn’t sure she’s right for them . . . and lately, all he desires is a little alone time with Cass to explore their new intimacy. But it’s only a matter of time before Cass breaks through both of their defenses. Because when seduction is the game plan, he always plays to win.

Broken Play is intended for mature audiences.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23834711-broken-play?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/147783-birmingham-rebels

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

“Hey, sugar, come here often?” Jo Jo Jones said to her as he came around from the showers wearing nothing but a towel, his dark-cocoa skin starkly contrasting with the white terry cloth. Jo Jo was a great linebacker, but he had a death wish. He couldn’t stop smoking weed, and he liked to tease Marian. One of those was going to get him thrown out of the NFL, and the other was going to get him dead.

“Really?” Marian said with exaggerated disappointment. “You had the whole day to think of a come-on line, and that’s the best you could come up with?”

The guys all laughed and Jo Jo got snapped with a few towels. He laughed, too, as if he’d really been joking, which was good. Cass crossed beating him up off his to-do list.

“Okay, gentlemen—and I use the term loosely,” she said, teasing them. “Today is press day. You get to be smart and funny and irresistible for the press corps. Make yourselves pretty before you join us back on the sidelines.”

There were groans from all over the room. “Oh, man,” Tyler Oakes, team quarterback, said. “You have to, too, right?”

Marian frowned. “Hello? I’m already pretty.”

Cass laughed out loud with the rest of the team. “You sure are,” he said, loud enough for her to hear him. Her gaze darted over to him, as if she’d been avoiding looking at him but couldn’t help herself now. He was sitting there in his shorts and nothing else, sweating. Beau was leaning on the locker in front of him, similarly undressed. Cass looked at him, hoping to lead Marian’s eyes that way, too. Beau was sure enough pretty when his copper skin was all sweaty, his tats gleaming black and slick.

Marian cleared her throat and Cass turned back to her. “Uh,” she said, blinking nervously as she backed up, holding the door with her hand. “Thanks. Hurry up. Down on the field. Press. Bye.” She turned and hurried off, letting the door swing closed.

“That girl got it bad,” Jo Jo said with a whistle. “You gonna put her out of her misery, or let me pick up the pieces of her broken heart?”

“Do you have a death wish?” Cass asked quietly, rearranging his to-do list again. He took a sip of his water as he stared at Jo Jo over the top of the bottle. Jo Jo backed up, his hands in the air.

“No, sir,” he said, shaking his head. “Not me. I didn’t say anything.”

Beau laughed. “Chicken.”

Jo Jo grinned. “You got that right, my man. Smart chicken.” He laughed as he sat down and started to get dressed. “See, I’m gonna be the first one down there with Miss Marian, while you pigs still got to wash the dirt off.” He laughed again as he danced out of the way of Cass’s reaching hand. “None of that,” he chided him. “Miss Marian would be very put out if I appeared all bloody for the press.”

“We’ll just make sure you don’t appear at all,” Beau said, which made Cass feel better. Beau may not have been actively pursuing Marian, but he was definitely interested in her, thank God. Cass didn’t want to be with a woman without Beau. He hadn’t been for . . . hell, three years. There was something between Marian and Beau. He just had to push it past the edge of whatever it was and into sex. No, more than sex. He wanted more than sex with Marian and Beau. It was time for more.

Before he could digest that mind-boggling thought, Beau slapped his shoulder. “Come on, man,” he said. “We’ve got to shower and get down there before they miss us.”

“Coming,” Cass said. He put aside his confusing thoughts and focused on the upcoming interviews. He really hated the press.

*****

Review:

Y’all need to take what the blurb says seriously because this book is not going to be for everyone. Usually your love story is girl meets boy, they fall in love, sometimes experience trouble of some sort, but figure things out so they can have their HEA. Here, girl meets boys, who already know each other quite well, everyone falls in love and addresses a few big problems so they can live HEA (although I’m sure it isn’t going to be easy considering the nature of their relationship). For those who don’t mind the explicit sex, including M/M and multiple partners, it is WELL worth the read because Kane does a great job of exploring some fascinating dynamics between these interesting and complex characters. In fact, there is so much going on here that I just couldn’t put it down and finished it in an afternoon.

I do have a couple of issues with it. Early on the flow isn’t as smooth as I’m used to, with paragraphs of weirdly stilted sentences, but I quickly am so wrapped up in their story that I stop noticing. If it continues, I have no idea because the rest of it is that engrossing.

And then there is the unprofessional relationship between Marian, Beau and Cass. She’s the assistant coach for their football team and a couple of times they have intimate moments in her office. I have no idea why it bothered me because there are a ton of books with office romances, including those with the boss, but this one seemed …. well, just more so. But then again, everything about their relationship is “more” so I guess it works 🙂

The characters hook you so completely though that it doesn’t take long to get past these things. The relationship between Beau and Cass is so very complicated and meeting Marian causes them to evaluate their feelings not only for her but for each other. I think my favorite thing about the whole book is how their this is addressed. It is so smooth because they had already started putting together the framework, they just hadn’t openly acknowledged it.

Marian, though, is more complicated and has some soul-searching to do. She had a traumatic incident in her past that has had far reaching effects, not just on her but on others. It’s shaken her trust and causes her to be afraid, in relationships and with football players – which is not good considering her job. Cass and Beau won’t let her ignore it because it is the make or break thing for their future. Their solution may be unorthodox but considering how unusual their lives are anyway it works.

Again, this book isn’t going to be for everyone. But it is full of a lot of heart and heat, which makes it perfect for those who are a little more adventurous in their reading.

*****

Author Info:

Samantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children, two boys and one girl. With a master’s degree in American history, she spent seven years as a high school history teacher before becoming a full-time writer and mom.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

*****

Giveaway:

Select Loveswept Ebook Bundle

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/235babe7251/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Spotlight – The Earl’s New Bride

08 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Frances Fowlkes, The Daughters of Amhurst, The Earl's New Bride

Y’all, The Earl’s New Bride has only been out a day and is already getting some great reviews! Check it out on Goodreads and then get your own copy at Amazon.

*****

The Earl’s New Bride

The Daughters of Amhurst series

by Frances Fowlkes

Blurb:

No woman dared to love him…

England, 1819

The Earl of Amhurst has returned to his estate in search of a wife and, more importantly, an heir. Simon Devere isn’t interested in some comely, simpering creature. A beautiful woman only brings heartbreak and ruin, and Simon’s disfigured visage is proof enough of that. No, he wants a wife who is unattractive and undesirable-and the homelier, the better.

But nothing about Lady Henrietta Beauchamp is homely. She is lovely and sweet… and struggles to mix with polite society when she would so much rather have plants for company. And yet Simon is her only hope for keeping Plumburn Castle in her family’s possession. Even if it means marrying a man she doesn’t love.

It’s an impossible and unlikely match… unless this awkward beauty can bring hope back into a solitary beast’s life.

*****

Excerpt:

“Our stroll. Why wait until tomorrow? Why not do it now, my lord? You can walk me to the kitchens on the other side of the garden, where we can retrieve another cup for your ache, and kill two birds with one stone.”

“You wish to walk with me? Alone? At night?” he asked dubiously.

His concern was valid. She was alone. Without a chaperone. With the Black Earl.

She should be afraid—or at the very least, nervous, and cautious.

But the only emotion thrumming through her veins was excitement at the sudden opportunity offered—time alone with the earl—without Miss Saxton and her perfect elocution, or Lord Satterfield staring at her with disturbing interest. This was an opportunity to compare the earl’s character against the gossip—and question why her blood raced at the mere mention of his name. Henrietta took the cup from his hand, her cool fingers brushing against his warm ones, the accidental and simple touch sending a tingle up her palm and into her arm. “ I-I-I would like to walk with you. That is…if you would have me.”

He blinked, seeming astonished. “Of course. I would be honored. My only concern is your lack of chaperone.”

“My sisters know where I-I-I am and with whom I-I-I had intended to meet.”

“Do they?” He stepped toward her, sending her heart into a near fit of palpitation. “And they have no compunction sending their sister into the dark gardens with the Black Earl?”

She shook her head. “No. Especially when he is ill.”

“I am not ill.” He winced, and Henrietta rolled her eyes.

*****

Author Info:

After viewing her all-time favorite love story, “Anne of Green Gables”, at the impressionable age of ten, Frances Fowlkes has been obsessed with affable boy-next door heroes, red-heads, and romance stories with lots of “highfaluting mumbo jumbo” written within their pages. It only seems natural then that she married the boy who used to pull on her curls in her high school English class, had not one, but THREE red-headed boys, and penned multiple love stories with bits of flowery prose.

When not writing, Frances loves spending time with her family, fangirling, and planning her next vacation.

Frances Fowlkes, originally a northern mid-westerner, now lives in the southeast with her ardent hero of a husband, three playful and rambunctious boys, and one spoiled standard poodle.

A self-professed Anglophile and summa cum laude graduate of LeTourneau University, Frances Fowlkes combines her passion for happily-ever-afters with her interests in both American and English histories.

Book Review – Her Lucky Cowboy

03 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book Review, Her Lucky Cowboy, Jennifer Ryan, Montana Men series

Today I’ve got a sexy cowboy and an absolutely adorable (and heartbreaking) heroine that I can’t wait to introduce you to!

*****

Her Lucky Cowboy

Montana Men # 3

by Jennifer Ryan

Releasing August 25, 2015

Avon

Blurb:

Champion rodeo rider Dane Bowden is eight seconds from winning under the Vegas lights, one last hurrah before reluctantly returning to his family’s Montana ranch. But his bull has other plans. When Dane wakes up, he’s sure he’s died and gone to heaven . . . because the doctor who comes to his aid is the same girl who saved his life and disappeared years ago.

Bell would do anything for Dane. He’s the fantasy that always kept her going. A child genius hidden away by her family, Bell was the secret no one talked about, the girl no one wanted. Despite finding success as a young surgeon, she’s still the awkward girl who’s never had a boyfriend. So why does Dane, a notorious playboy and sizzling-hot cowboy, insist on taking her on a real date?

Bell is the only woman in Dane’s heart. When a rodeo rivalry turns deadly, it’s his turn to save Bell’s life—because he sure as hell won’t lose his guardian angel again.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23644595-her-lucky-cowboy?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/129156-montana-men

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

Bowden Ranch, Montana

Eleven years ago

Dane was flying.

One moment he was riding his horse across the far reaches of his family’s land, the next his horse reared up and kicked his massive hooves in the air, spooked by some unseen threat. Dane let loose the reins and fell sideways, hoping the horse didn’t trample him. Dane’s left foot hit the ground first, his ankle twisting painfully as his body slammed into the packed dirt and weeds. His shoulder hit next, breaking most of his upper body’s fall, but his head smashed into a jagged rock. Pain exploded through his head.

Hombre galloped away. Alone now, Dane rolled and lay flat on his back, staring up at the canopy of tree branches overhead. The sound of the rushing river next to him added to the thrashing heartbeat in his ears. He rubbed his hands over his eyes, hoping that cleared his spotty double vision. His left hand came away wet and sticky with blood from the gash swelling on his head.

He closed his eyes tight, his hands falling limp on his stomach. When he opened them moments later, he stared into a pair of dazzling blue eyes. The young girl’s dark hair hung down, covering most of her pale face as she stared at him. The most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

“Are you okay?”

Such a soft, sweet voice. Where had she come from? No one lived out here. He liked the peace and quiet. The solitude.

“I must be dead. You’re an angel.”

Those ethereal eyes went wide with surprise. “Trust me, I’m no angel.” She filled those soft words with as much shock and disbelief as showed on her pretty face.

Calling her a liar probably wouldn’t make her like him.

She crouched, opened her hand, and set a long blue feather on his chest before touching her fingers to his aching head. The sting made him hiss in pain. Definitely not dead. Which meant she was real. Despite his prone body and inability to think clearly, one thing came through loud and clear. He wanted to know this girl.

“I need to stop this bleeding.”

He must have torn his T-shirt when he hit the ground. She ripped a piece free, walked to the edge of the river, and dipped it in the icy water. His vision blurred. He closed his eyes and moaned when she pressed the cold cloth to his head.

“There now. You’ll be okay.”

At fifteen, the last thing he wanted to do was ask for help, but his head swam and his ankle throbbed in time to his heart and the headache pounding in his head. No way he’d get home on his own. “My ankle hurts. Please, you have to get my dad. Find one of my brothers.”

Her soft hand settled on his chest over his heart. “You’ll be okay.” She snatched it back, like touching him burned her. He missed the sweet contact.

She reached for his foot and carefully pulled off his boot. He tried to bite back the groan, but it burst from his tight lips when the pain shot up his leg. Not cool to look like a wuss in front of a pretty girl, but with his head busted open, he was in bad shape.

She ripped his shirt again and used the long strip to bind his ankle. It actually felt better.

She sat beside him, her hands clenched in her lap. “I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have touched you. I’m sorry.”

He didn’t understand her distress. He tried to sit up and comfort her, but he fell back to the ground, his eyes closing as blackness swamped his dizzy mind.

*****

Review:

(This is my first Montana Men books that I’ve read (surprise!) but I really enjoyed it. I missed out a little by not reading the stories about Dane’s brothers but I don’t think it was enough to make a big difference. I’m curious now but I didn’t really feel like I was lost at any point by not having that history.)

I absolutely LOVED these two. Dane is a good modern day rake – enjoying himself as he moves fast through life (and women), until he meets that special someone. Once he sees Bell though he’s a new man. He’s already going to have to change his life and his accident just makes it even more real, but the change didn’t feel quite as right until he found a woman to settle down with. He’s going to have to show a lot of patience and understanding though to win this one over … good thing that he’s a strong, upstanding man under all that fast living.

Bell had an unusual upbringing to say the least. Her family was ashamed of her and hid her from everyone, so much so that no one knew she lived with her grandmother. Add being beyond brilliant to the mix, enough that she graduated college at an age most kids are graduating high school, and she’s got a lot of catching up to do socially. Meeting gorgeous and socially hyperactive playboy Dane, just makes her feel all the more unsure of herself and has her resisting his advances.

Bell’s awkwardness makes Dane have to fight for her but it does ensure that he has plenty of time to make sure that she’s what he wants. The ups and downs that these two experience will help make them have a solid future … as long as they make it out the other side. Because Ryan also throws a little danger into the mix, which just amps things up a bit and keeps you biting your nails (both from terror and emotional overload).

With her fantastic writing style, addictive characters and awesome pacing, I found myself speeding through the pages. I kept telling myself I’d just read a little more, which turned into a little more and then a little more, because each time I promised myself I’d quit at the next good stopping point I’d just find myself even more engrossed.

If the rest of the Montana Men stories are anything like this then I’m moving them to the top of my TBR pile because this one packed about as much punch as that big ol’ bull that Dane goes round and round with.

*****

Author Info:

Jennifer Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted Series and The McBrides Series. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find.

Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

a Print Bundle of AT WOLF RANCH and WHEN IT’S RIGHT (Books 1 and 2 in the Montana Men series)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c8762/

*****

Click on the banner below to view the rest of the tour

Spotlight – Beauty and the Werewolf

31 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Beauty and the Werewolf, Kristin Miller, San Francisco Wolf Pack series

We’re already seen The Werewolf Wears Prada and now I’m excited for us to get a peek at book 2!

*****

Beauty and the Werewolf

by Kristin Miller

San Francisco Wolf Pack #2

Publication Date: August 2015

Genres: Paranormal, Romance

Blurb:

Unmated werewolves don’t normally live past three hundred years old…and billionaire Jack MacGrath is cutting it close. Sure, he has almost everything—the respect of his peers, a mansion in San Francisco, a private jet, and fast cars. But without a mate, Jack’s in trouble. Then he sees her. Gorgeous, proud…and his enemy.

Isabelle Connelly is good at hiding things from her father. Like her success as a painter, or the incredibly intense attraction she has to Jack MacGrath. After all, she’s royalty and falling for anyone lesser—to say nothing of a rival pack—would be, er, unseemly. Now she must choose between her duty to her family and her pack…or her perfect fated mate.

Buy Links Beauty and the Werewolf (San Francisco Wolf Pack, #2):

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JrQn6H

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1JjWDvg

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1TUsx8v

B&N: http://bit.ly/1TUrPbx

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1E5rrzZ

iBooks: http://apple.co/1Jjv54Q

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1e7R06H

*****

Also in the San Francisco Wolf Pack series…

The Werewolf Wears Prada

by Kristin Miller

San Francisco Wolf Pack #1

Publication Date: April 2015

Genres: Paranormal, Romance

Blurb:

Melina Rosenthal worships at the altar of all things fashion. Her dream is to work for the crème de la crème fashion magazine, Eclipse, and she’ll do much anything to get there. Even fixing up the image of a gorgeous, sexy public figure who’s all playboy, all the time. Even if he’s the guy who broke her heart a year ago…

Even if Hayden Dean is a werewolf.

Since his father’s death, Hayden’s the heir apparent to the San Francisco Wolf Pack—well, once he settles down. Hayden isn’t interested in giving up his partying ways, except he’s pretty sure he’s found his fated mate, and the fact that she’s a non-shifter is bad news. Now he must find a compromise between the traditions of his wolf world and his certainty that Melina is his…before fate (or another werewolf) bites them both in the butt.

Buy Links The Werewolf Wears Prada (San Francisco Wolf Pack, #1):

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DTD2ew

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1WFTxYv

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1JjywIL

B&N: http://bit.ly/1K7k63I

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1PnhVbP

iBooks: http://apple.co/1EDMnsz

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1LlRe9x

*****

Excerpt:

He had eleven Bella Nolan paintings.

Werewolf in Venice would make twelve.

And he wasn’t about to be outbid by the tiny little pixie sitting in the row across from him. She had dark hair that dropped past her shoulders and curled up at the ends. Bright green eyes lined with thick lashes. Freckles covering her plump cheeks. She was a werewolf—he could tell by the sweet and spicy smell of her—but she wasn’t from the San Francisco Wolf Pack.

He would’ve run into her by now, and he never forgot a face.

The pixie wore a thick black scarf, black heels, and a black dress that revealed the porcelain-smooth length of her legs when she crossed them. Judging from her attire, she was either headed to a funeral after the auction or stuck in a permanent state of melancholy. Or maybe she simply thought the monochromatic color would make her incognito.

Yeah, no way. With legs like that, anonymity was impossible.

As the bid tiptoed higher, reaching six hundred fifteen thousand, Jack raised his paddle with a flick of his wrist. He couldn’t care less about the money spent. He’d accumulated an estate worth billons, but even if he hadn’t, he’d go in debt to hang Werewolf in Venice on his walls.

Besides, he couldn’t take his billions with him when he died, so he might as well spend his money on something he could enjoy in his final days.

Seeing as how he was a 320-year-old werewolf who’d yet to find his Luminary—his one and only fated mate—he was weakening. Werewolves could only live about three hundred years without going through the bonding process with their Luminary. With every year that passed by, he was pushing the envelope.

He’d searched tirelessly for his mate. Scoured wolf packs throughout the country, and had come up empty-handed. Luminaries could feel the spark of connection at first touch.

He’d failed. End of discussion. End of his life.

A shaky breath ripped from his lungs.

Just then, he picked up something else in the pixie’s scent. Hints of something rich and creamy. It smelled almost like—no, it couldn’t possibly be—Guinness? Smooth and full. Bittersweet underneath. Had she drunk the beer recently? Was it still on her breath?

He couldn’t tell.

The pixie lifted her chin—a slight move, but he caught it—and raised her paddle.

Guess she was a Bella Nolan fan, too.

Without thinking twice, he rebutted.

She craned her neck to the side and glared at him, kinking one eyebrow. It was clear that she was trying to give him attitude, but she looked downright adorable. Like a puppy gearing up for battle against a more formidable dog. He couldn’t help but smile.

Sweetheart, I’m 320 years old. I’ve met and outbid enthusiastic bidders like you before.

But you’ve never met me.

Her thoughts struck him like a hammer to the temples. He hadn’t meant to project his thoughts, or for her to hear them. But now that she’d responded, he couldn’t get the sweet sound of her voice out of his head. Her tone was light and airy, like the winter wind, carrying a soft accent.

He couldn’t place it. English? Irish? Definitely European.

With a huff, the pixie redirected her attention to the front. And raised the bid again.

I can do this all day. Her lips twitched in irritation as her words pulsed through his mind. You might as well go home now. It’ll save you some embarrassment.

Exhilaration fired through his veins.

There was only one thing he loved more than a challenge: a tantalizing game of cat-and-mouse.

Keeping his eye on her, Jack bid until the price reached seven hundred fifty thousand and the room erupted in excited whispers. Pixie fidgeted in her seat, shifting her weight from one hip to the other.

Don’t overextend yourself, he projected.

Don’t worry about me. She waved her paddle. Worry about what your friends in the auction circuit are going to think when you’re outbid and lose this painting.

He bid again. Without hearing the next price.

She matched him.

A smirk curled the corner of his lips as he met her eyes. Fiery determination burned in those emerald depths. Her eyes stunned him, twinkling bright and holding him captive. But not enough to miss the price of the painting rise near a million.

He winked. And then lifted the paddle slowly.

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Kristin Miller writes sweet and sassy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance of all varieties. Kristin has degrees in psychology, English, and education, and taught high school and middle school English before crossing over to a career in writing. She lives in Northern California with her alpha male husband and their two children. She loves chocolate way more than she should and the gym less. You can usually find her in the corner of a coffee shop, laptop in front of her and mocha in hand, using the guests around her as fuel for her next book.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a354515

*****

Tour Info:

August 24- Indy Book Fairy, Spotlight

August 24- Bookish Wanderlove, Excerpt

August 24- Mary Gramlich Is Blogging Along With, Spotlight

August 24- Undercover Book Reviews, Spotlight

August 24- A Bookaholic’s Fix: Feeding the Addiction, Excerpt

August 24- A Lick Of Romance, Review

–

August 25- Love Reading Romance, Excerpt

August 25- A One-Click Addict’s Book Blog, Excerpt

August 25- Seeing Night Reviews, Review

August 25- Books Eater, Review

–

August 26- My Golden Reads, Excerpt

August 26- First Page to the Last, Review

–

August 27- Jacklynn Love’s Reading, Playlist

–

August 28- Beauty in the Beastly Books, Review

August 28- Warrior Woman Winmill, Review

–

August 31- Romantic Reads and Such, Excerpt

August 31- Confessions From Romaholics, Review

–

September 1- Mikky’s World Of Books, Excerpt

–

September 2– Book Junkiez, Excerpt

September 2– Geeks in High School, Review

September 2– Forget the Housework, I’m Reading…, Review

–

September 3– Vera is Reading, Playlist

–

September 4– Deal Sharing Aunt, Spotlight

September 4– Paola’s Bookshelf, Excerpt

–

September 7– Romancing the Readers, Excerpt

September 7– Becky on Books, Review

–

September 8– Romancing the Dark Side, Excerpt

September 8– Obsessive Compulsive Divalicious Books Pimps and Promos Blog, Review

–

September 9– Wicked Babes Blog Reviews, Review

–

September 10– Literature Litehouse, Excerpt

September 10– Fantical Paranormal Romantical, Review

–

September 11– Eskimo Princess Book Reviews, Excerpt

–

September 14– Urban Smoothie Read, Review

–

September 15– In The Pages of a Good Book, Playlist

September 15– Romance Schmomance, Review

–

September 16– Whispered Thoughts, Excerpt

–

September 17– purpinkrosesbookcorner, Excerpt

September 17– Fanatical Paranormal Romantical, Review

–

September 18- Vampire Book Club, Playlist

September 18- Books That Hook, Review

Spotlight – Tough Love

29 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Lori Foster, Tough Love, Ultimate series

I’m so thrilled to be sharing this one – Lori Foster is one of my favorite authors and I just love her MMA based books (we’ve already seen Hard Knocks and Holding Strong). And her latest is getting a lot of good attention…

*****

Tough Love

Ultimate series

by Lori Foster

Blurb:

She’s playing hard to get…to win the MMA fighter of her ultimate fantasies in a sultry new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

Vanity Baker loves a good, clean match, but she’s not above playing a little dirty. She’s wanted Stack “The Wolf” Hannigan from day one. Seems as though the best way to corral the famously commitment-phobic fighter is to insist on keeping it casual. And her plan works—deliciously well—until Stack’s past steps out of the shadows.

Stack learned early to stay free of attachments. But with sexy, forthright Vanity, he’s the one always left wanting more. Then his troublemaking family comes back into the picture, threatening everything Stack cares about—Vanity included. Suddenly he realizes they’re much more than friends with benefits. He’s ready to go to the mat for her…but will it be in time to protect the woman who’s tamed him for good?

Buy Links:

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** GooglePlay ** Booksamillion

Praise for TOUGH LOVE:

“Foster brings her signature blend of heat and sweet to her addictive third Ultimate martial arts contemporary. Foster ably tosses out red herrings and also seamlessly lays the foundation for the next book in this series. This luscious tale will appeal to Foster’s legion of fans and attract new ones—even those who aren’t fans of professional fighting.” – Publishers Weekly

And don’t miss the first books in the Ultimate Series!

HARD KNOCKS

NO LIMITS

HOLDING STRONG

*****

Excerpt:

The breath she held came out in a gasp as he pulled her against him, locked an arm around her waist and took her mouth with hot, incredible greed.

Whoa. And here she thought she’d been on the ragged edge.

He was so much bigger than her in every way, he made her feel tiny and feminine and fragile. In all other situations her independent soul might have rebelled, but not now. Not with Stack. She trusted him one hundred percent, and wanted him even more than that.

Flattening her hands on his chest, she smoothed over the solid wall of his pecs, up to those rock-solid shoulders. Heat poured off him, and—oh God—he smelled so good. With his big hands opened on her, his mouth eating at hers, she forgot… everything.

The music and the conversation of other guests faded away. She tunneled her fingers into his hair and tried to get closer still.

Someone bumped into them; Stack didn’t stop kissing her. If anything, his tongue became bolder, exploring, tasting.

Laughter, probably from his friends, sounded nearby, and still he didn’t stop. He gathered her closer.

Jarred back to the here and now, Vanity pressed against him. A true gentleman, Stack immediately eased up.

Her lips tingled. Shoot, her whole body tingled. She drew in a shaky breath. “Wow.”

Proving he hadn’t, in fact, forgotten they stood in the middle of the floor at a friend’s wedding, he whispered against her lips, “Let me get you someplace private.” A softer kiss of persuasion. “I’ll give you reason to be wowed.”

Such a tempting promise.

Oh, how she wanted to haul him to the nearest quiet closet. But that would be dumb. What she wanted, what she hoped he ultimately wanted, would require hours, not a few frenzied minutes.

Voice filled with regret, Vanity explained, “I can’t go just yet.”

His rough growl proved his impatience.

“Very soon, I promise.” Adjusting their embrace, her arms around his neck, his hands at her waist, she put some space between them. “Let’s dance while you cool down and I—”

“Dream on.” But he eased his hold and fell into step with her. Gaze burning over her, then lingering on her cleavage, he asked, “How much longer do I have to wait?”

Vanity didn’t pretend confusion; she knew exactly what he meant, exactly what he wanted. “One dance. Then I need to get the bouquet out of the fridge and gather up some presents and—”

He groaned again, prompting Vanity to laugh.

“Let’s talk.” Maybe casual conversation would help cool his jets and give her a needed opportunity to regroup.

“Okay.” He leaned in. “I can’t wait to taste you—all over.”

All over?

“And to get you under me. Or over me. Your preference.”

“Stack.” Her shaky voice sounded weak. “Let’s talk about something that isn’t provoking.”

“Like what? Because honest to god, darlin’, after weeks of your verbal foreplay, I’m feeling pretty damned provoked.”

The smile came slowly. Teasing Stack was a true pleasure.

*****

Author Info:

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.

Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

Each year Lori donates all proceeds from one book to charity. You can see the benefit romance books here: http://lorifoster.com/benefit-books/

LINKS:

WEBSITE: http://lorifoster.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lorifoster

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/lorilfoster

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17597.Lori_Foster

PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/lorilfoster/

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/lorifosterauthor/

Holding Strong is part of the Ultimate series.

*****