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Sunday, November 30, 2014

Release: A BRIDE FOR THE SEASON by Jennifer Delamere + Giveaway



About A BRIDE FOR THE SEASON
London's most scandalous bachelor has finally gone too far. Caught in a situation that was innocent but too compromising, James Simpson is forced to admit that he must do the honorable thing and marry the lady. Unfortunately, marriage alone will not be enough to appease her father. He won't agree to a dowry unless James can find a suitable husband for the lady's elder sister-the shy and awkward Lucinda Cardington.

Lucinda doesn't care that she is close to being "on the shelf"; she has more serious pursuits in mind. She enjoys the friendship she and James share over their love of photography, but she leaves dreams of romance to silly young ladies like her sister. James does manage to find a match for Lucinda, and his efforts to get them together are about to succeed...until James comes to the distressing realization that he doesn't want Lucinda in anyone's arms but his own.

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About Jennifer Delamere
The youngest child of a Navy pilot and a journalist, Jennifer acquired a love of adventure and an excitement for learning that continues to this day. She's lived in three countries and traveled throughout theU.S. An avid reader of classics and historical fiction, she also enjoys biographies and histories, which she mines for the vivid details to bring to life the characters and places in her books. She resides with her husband in North Carolina--where, when not writing or dreaming up romantic adventures for her characters, she can be found fantasizing about her next ski trip or European vacation.

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“Thank you,” she said softly. “I don’t know why Ican’t dance like that with other men. With you it was . . .easy.”

Lucinda was always so truthful, so sincere, that it pained him to see how she was looking at him. He wasin no way deserving of her trust, and yet she had given itto him. “Perhaps it was because you were listening to themusic inside you. Inside here.” He lightly placed a forefingerjust above her heart. It was edging on indecent todo so, but she didn’t object. She just kept looking at him,and beneath his hand he could feel her heart poundingwildly.

Around them, the stillness seemed to settle, even asspecks of dust floated in the sunshine coming through thewindow. James could not seem to move. He really shouldnot be so intensely attuned to the allure she did not evenrealize she presented. Without question he should notbe touching her at all, let alone in a private room. Andyet she remained tantalizingly close. She must be, ashe was, either unable or unwilling to move away. Onehand remained in his, cool and soft. Its light, gentle touchsent powerful sensations through him. They were bothwatching each other intently, and he felt, right down tohis core, the moment their gazes dropped to each other’slips. What kind of a man was he, to be giving seriousconsideration to such a clearly wrong action? He waseither a cad or an idiot. Most probably he was a goodmixture of both, because slowly, deliberately, no longercaring to resist, he closed the distance between them andkissed her.


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Friday, November 28, 2014

Release: FULL THROTLE by Julie Ann Walker + Giveaway



Book: Full Throttle
Author: Julie Ann Walker
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: December 2, 2014
Genre: Romantic Suspense


She Needs a Hero...

Abby Thompson didn't sign up to be the daughter of the President of the United States. The position was forced on her by the small matter of her birth. Preferring a quiet life of study, she's content to leave the politics and the international intrigue to her father. Unfortunately, the most powerful man on the planet is sure to make enemies. When a group of armed thugs takes her hostage half a world away, demanding the U.S. government release prisoners in exchange for her safe return, she fears her father's policy of "not negotiating with terrorists" means she'll never see the shores of the Potomac again. Luckily, there's one glimmer of hope. His name is Carlos Soto. And though she abruptly ended things with him years ago, she knows now he's the only man who can save her…

Black Knights, Inc. to the Rescue...

Carlos "Steady" Soto has taken part in his fair share of dangerous missions working at the covert government defense firm of Black Knights Inc. But nothing prepared him for the emotional rollercoaster he faces when he's tasked with rescuing the only woman he ever loved-who also broke his heart. Racing against time and outmaneuvering a group of trained terrorists will take everything he's got. Plus there's the heat simmering between them which is threatening to ignite into an inferno. While ruthless enemies stalk them, they must learn to trust each other again. Even if they do make it out alive, will Abby turn her back on him... for the second time?

Excerpt

So far, so good…

The hum of the Ducati was reassuring, as was Abby’s tightened grip around Steady’s waist. They were riding down the devil’s own washed--out, rutted, rock--filled hell of a rubber tree logging road, and for the first ten minutes of the harrowing journey, while she’d still been suffering the lingering effects of the sedative, it was just as difficult to keep her on the bike as it was to navigate the frackin’ jungle track.

But now they were clipping along at a steady, if decidedly slow, pace. No JI goons could be seen in his rearview mirrors—-though it was hard to tell exactly, given the fact that the forest encroached from both sides and above. And if his calculations were correct, a half hour or so more should see them entering the lovely kingdom of Thailand.

See, he wished he could call and tell Dan, sometimes it’s better to Lone Wolf McQuade things…

Abby squirmed against his back, interrupting his thoughts and alerting him to the feel of her supple thighs pressed against the outsides of his hips and legs. Which, in turn, immediately focused his attention on her soft breasts—-and distended nipples?—-grazing his back.

Okay, so who was he kidding? Like he hadn’t been keenly aware of each of those things since the first moment. Even while worming his way through the dense undergrowth of ferns and vines after escaping the encampment and hiking back to the Ducati, he’d been hard--pressed to concentrate on anything other than the feel of Abby squeezed all nice and tight against him. Abby’s soft skin touching his. Abby’s sweet smell—-even sweaty and bedraggled, she still emanated a soft cloud of dryer sheets and cocoa butter lotion—-filling his nose and making his head spin.

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Buy Links

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1vO67sN


Author Biography


Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of award-winning romantic suspense. She has won the Book Buyers Best Award, been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award. Her latest release was named a Top Ten Romance of 2014 by Booklist. Her books have been described as "alpha, edgy, and downright hot." Most days you can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.


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Thursday, November 27, 2014

Release: To Love and to Cherish by Leigh Greenwood + Giveaway




Torn Between a Desire to be Free…
When Laurie Spencer said “I do”, she never realized she’d be trading one pair of shackles for another—until her husband’s unexpected death leaves her with an opportunity to escape her controlling family for good. Determined to be independent, Laurie approaches sexy rancher Jared Smith with an offer she hopes he can’t refuse…

And a Longing to be His...
Jared’s determined to make it in Texas, but with the local banker turned against him, it looks like his dream may be slipping through his fingers. When unconsciously sensual Laurie offers a partnership, his luck may be changing…but when she throws herself in as part of the deal, Jared’s not sure he’ll be able to respect the terms of their agreement and keep his eyes—and his hands—to himself.

There’s something about Laurie that awakens every protective instinct Jared has…and when all hell breaks loose, there’s nothing and no one who’ll be able to keep this cowboy from her side.


Interview 

  1. What is one of your favorite Myths/legends to write about?Obviously the myth of the cowboy. As we all know, the literary cowboy is a creation of novels, movies, and TV.  However, it’s not entirely a myth because we’ve distilled the best from all the men of the West and poured it into one hero.     
  2. If you could live back in time, what time period would you choose and why?I really can’t say. I’d love to live in Greece or Rome, but I’d probably have been a slave or a peon. I think 19th century England would have been fun, but again I’d have to be one of the wealthy and privileged. Today is the best time for the average person to have lived. 
  3. When writing do you have a playlist of music you like to listen to?What are a couple songs on it?I don’t listen to music when I write. Having been a professional musician, I find it impossible not to listen. Besides, I object to hearing music without listening to it. I find the whole concept of background music offensive. I think it’s an insult to the composer and the performers. I have to add that all three of my children listened to music while they did their homework. They said it helped them concentrate. I never understood how that worked.
  4. What was your favorite childhood book?A book of Fairy Tales my mother read to us.  Not Grimm’s. They aren’t for children.
  5. What is your favorite addition to chocolate?Peanut butter.
  6. What does your husband/significant other say about your writing erotic stories? What about your family and/or do they read your books?My stories can hardly be called erotic. In fact, my children are constantly urging me to write more sex so I can make more money.I think they’re more interested in their inheritance than in me having extra spending money. They’ve all read some of my books, but romance is not their favorite genre.
  7. Besides your own, what is one of your favorite series to keep up with?The only series I’ve ever kept up with was the Harry Potter series. I don’t normally like fantasy/paranormal/etc., but I couldn’t put those books down. I was at the bookstore the day they were on sale and didn’t do much else until I’d read the book.
  8. What do you think you would be doing if you weren't writing?At this point in my life (I’m 73) I’d be sleeping late, doing crossword puzzles, working in the yard, and reading as many books as possible.Then I’d finish off the day with a nice drink.
  9. Do you have any hobbies or activities you enjoy doing?I really enjoy working in my yard.  I have a fairly large vegetable garden and extensive flower beds. Since I moved into my present home just a little over four years ago, I’ve invested a great amount of time and money in getting beds established and improving the garden soil. I confiscate neighbors’ leaves for a huge compost pile, make war on Bermuda grass, and have fenced my yard to keep out deer and rabbits who’d rather eat my plants than watch them bloom.   
  10. What is something you do to de-stress?I work in the yard or take long walks on the greenway. There’s nothing like vigorous physical activity to help you unwind.
  11. We all know about muses...what do you think inspires you to allow your creative juices flowing?Even when I have a clear scene in mind, the beginningof a book is hard because I don’t know my characters yet. But once they come alive for me, the story starts to roll.
10 Fun Facts about To Love and to Cherish

1.      The heroine has the money to insure her freedom, but she can’t let anyone know about it.
2.      My heroine is closer to her cousins than her parents.
3.      Laurie’s first husband made her wear dresses that looked more like shrouds
4.      Laurie is a virgin despite having been married five years. Not much fun, huh?
5.      Steve has a crush on the woman his uncle is going to marry.
That’s all I can think of.

***


Leigh Greenwood is the USA Today bestselling author of the popular Seven Brides, Cowboys, and Night Riders series. The proud father of three grown children, Leigh resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. He never intended to be a writer, but he found it hard to ignore the people in his head, and the only way to get them out was to write. Visit him at www.leigh-greenwood.com.





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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Release: DELIGHTFUL by Adrianne Lee + Giveaway
















About DELIGHTFUL
Ice Erickksen has "one-night stand" written all over him. Once he's finished shooting the Big Sky Pie reality show, this hot-as-hell TV producer is going to hightail it out of Montana and return to his glamorous life in L.A. But Ice gets into hot water when one of the goodies in the pie shop-a delightful blonde with marriage on her mind-burns up the camera lens. Andrea Lovette, the manager of the shop, always picks the bad boys. But after her divorce, she's determined to find the good family man that her two young sons deserve. Although Andrea's body sizzles whenever Ice is near, she knows in her heart that he's not marriage material. Then why does the bad boy still seem like such a good idea?


About Adrianne Lee
Adrianne Lee lives with her husband of many, many years on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in Washington State in a pole barn building her husband transformed into an upstairs apartment with a shop below for his hot rods. Adrianne creates her stories on her laptop, in her recliner with her adopted cat, Spooky, curled between her calves, snoozing.  Over thirty years of summer vacationing in the Flat Head Lake area near Kalispell and Glacier Park has given her a love for all things Montana.

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Buy links
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/11E7Q74 
Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/1zKHI6u 
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/11M5mo3 


Excerpt:

She spun on her heel with every intention of chewing him out, but froze under the gaze of those mesmerizing eyes that haunted her dreams.  His grin said he had her where he wanted her—all to himself.
            He needed to be set straight on a few points, first that she wouldn’t be manipulated.  Maybe he couldn’t help himself, being a director, but she didn’t like it.  She closed the gap between them as though she were glad to be alone with him.  She got up close and personal, in full-on flirt mode, fingering his collar, feeling the pulse at his neck quicken, hearing his intake of breath.  She leaned into him as if she meant to kiss him and whispered, “If you’d wanted to get me alone, sweetheart, all you had to do was ask.”
            He started to reach for her, but she pulled back.  He cocked his head, studied her, something bothering him, but not what she expected.  “How’s Lucas?”
            The question seemed to come out of the blue, like an angry hornet biting into her exposed flesh.  Why had he asked about her son?  What did Lucas have to do with him?  Nothing, that’s what.  “He’s none of your concern.”
            Ice pressed his lips together, nodding.  “You’re right.  He’s not.  I was just. . .being polite.”
            She nodded, knowing she needed to draw a line with him.  “The other day with you was an awful mistake.  It can’t happen again.  Ever.”
            “Awful?”  A soft laugh vibrated in his throat.  “I don’t believe you. . .and you know as well as I do that it will happen again. . .”  He was staring at her mouth, and then her breasts—which were standing at attention, either from the cold of the room or the heat of his gaze.  She should leave now, but her brain wasn’t paying attention.  It was listening to the baser requests being made by the glances of this so-wrong-for-her man.
            “I don’t have any expectations,” she said.  “I don’t want anything more.  No strings.”
            “What if I want strings?”
            “You don’t want strings.”  She couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of that.  “Any woman harboring that fantasy only has to sleep with you to realize it’s a foolhardy notion.”
            His eyes clouded, a sure sign that she’d dented his ego.  “What does that mean?”
            Oh, God, why had she opened this can of worms?  How did she explain that she’d had a man exactly like him?  That she knew from experience he was only in it for himself.  He didn’t want her for her.  He was only turned on by her loving wild sex as much as he did.  What could she say that would make him stop coming after her for more?  “Don’t get me wrong.  I enjoy hot, dirty sex as much as anyone, especially with a lover who knows his way around the female body.  But like most women, I want something more.”
            “Such as?”  The glint in his eye said “bring it on.”  He was up for any challenge she wanted to throw at him.  Literally up for it, she realized, judging by the bulge in his chinos.
            Her resolve wobbled, her grasp on the situation slipping through her fingers.  But she couldn’t think when he looked at her like this, when she wanted to feel his mouth on hers, his arms around her, his body pressed close.
            He came toward her.  “Can’t think of anything?”
            “Yes.  I can.”  But nothing was coming to her.  Nothing she’d say to him.
            He’d backed her into a corner, the heat issuing off him making her panties wet and her heart thunder.  She felt like a moth fluttering toward a killing light.  If she wasn’t careful, she might let him strip her naked right here, just to extinguish the flame that burned for him.   So much for being in control of any area of her life.  She was a screwed-up mess.
            He groaned her name, shoved his hands into her hair, and captured her mouth in a brain-tingling explosion of lust.  She wanted to claw his clothes off and climb on top of him, right here, right now in the pie shop.  He broke off the kiss, panting, his forehead to hers.  “What is it about you. . .?”


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Sunday, November 23, 2014

Release: TWICE TEMPTED by Eileen Dreyer















About TWICE TEMPTED:
Fiona Ferguson's troubles began with a kiss . . . 
It feels like a lifetime ago that Alex Knight saved Fiona from certain doom . . . and stole a soul-shattering kiss for good measure. Wanting nothing more than to keep her safe, he left her in the care of her grandfather, the Marquess of Dourne. But Fiona was hardly safe. As soon as he could, the marquess cast her and her sister out on the streets with only her wits to keep them alive. Alex has never forgotten that long-ago kiss. Now the dashing spy is desperate to make up for failing his duty once before. This time he will protect Fiona once and for all, from a deadly foe bent on taking revenge on the Ferguson line-and anyone who stands in the way . . .

About Eileen Dreyer:
New York Times best-selling author Eileen Dreyer has won five RITA Awards from the Romance Writers of America, which secures her  fourth place in the Romance Writers of America prestigious Hall of Fame. Eileen is an addicted traveler, having sung in some of the best Irish pubs in the world.  Eileen also writes as Kathleen Korbel and has over three million books in print worldwide. Born and raised in Missouri, she lives in St. Louis County with her husband Rick and her two children.


Eileen’s social media:

@EileenDreyer


Excerpt:

He arched an eyebrow. “Lord Whitmore again? Please, Fiona. Don't do that to me. When I hear Lord Whitmore, I think of my uncle, who had six fingers and thought bathing was a trick of the devil.”
            She giggled. “I can understand your wanting to maintain the distinction.”
            “Every time you call me Lord Whitmore, I will call you Eloise.”
            She glared at him, the curtains clutched to her chest like bedclothes, as if she were a maiden in threat of seduction. “You wouldn't.”
            He shrugged. “It is your name. Lady Eloise Fiona Ferguson Hawes.”
            “No one knows,” she hissed.
            He leaned in very close. “I do.”
            She reared back and almost tipping the ladder again. “That is patently unfair.”
            He shrugged and reached up for the curtains. “All is fair in love and safety.”
            She refused to budge. “I do not believe that is precisely the quote.”
            Grinning, he put his foot on the second rung, just beneath her. “Close enough.”
            And then he made the mistake of looking into her eyes. Her blue, blue eyes that were suddenly black with arousal. He heard the sharp intake of her breath and saw the erratic pulse beating at the base of her long white throat.
            His own body reacted just as it had every time he'd gotten close to her. He focused in on her, his grip on her tightening. Still she didn't move, caught in the circle of his free arm, her hip pressed against his chest, her mouth just above his. All he had to do was climb another rung, and he could satisfy a four-year-old craving.
            His heart was galloping suddenly, and he could feel a bead of sweat roll down his back. He could see a glow on her forehead, her upper lip. Her eyes widened, as if she could read his thoughts, and he could scent something new. Arousal. Need. Hunger. His own body was shaking with it. He swore his cock had taken on a life of its own, and his brain simply shut down.
            He leaned a bit closer, his foot still on the step beneath her and paused, giving her a chance to escape, to clout him in the head if necessary. She didn't. She watched him the way prey might a raptor, unsure and wary.  He didn't blame her. He wasn't certain how much control he had over himself. It had been so long since he'd had a woman. So much longer since he'd really liked the one he had.
            Slowly, so he didn't startle her into tipping the ladder, he rose up and set his other foot on the rung. She was frozen in place, one hand fisted around the blood-deep velvet, the other clenched against the ladder, as if she was still uncertain whether to use it.
            She didn't. She inhaled, her mouth opening just a bit, as if there wasn't enough air. As if she were struggling to stay afloat.
            Sink, Alex wanted to say as he lifted himself face-to-face with her, mouth-to-mouth. Sink into me.
            “I knew it!” a voice screeched behind him, shattering the moment. “What did I tell you about lettin' them jackanapes in here?”
            Fiona reared back, as if he'd attacked her, again throwing the ladder off balance. Alex instinctively pulled back to stabilize them. He pulled back too far and the ladder tipped.
There was a lot of yelling and a couple of muffled thuds as Alex landed on his back, cushioning Fiona's fall. He wasn’t so lucky.
            “Are you all right?” Fiona asked immediately, leaning over him.
            “Serves him right,” the housekeeper snapped from the doorway.
            He had hit his head so hard he was seeing stars. But he was smelling cinnamon and Fiona, so he really couldn't complain
            “That is enough, Mrs. Quick,” he heard. “Alex? Your eyes are open. Can you hear me?”
            Rather than admit that he was too distracted by the plump pressure of her breast against his chest to answer, he simply closed his eyes and groaned. The act would have been unworthy of him if his head weren't pounding and his arse aching from hard contact with the floor
            “Mrs. Quick,” she was saying, her hand on his cheek. “See if Mr. Clemson is outside. Send him for the doctor.”
            He knew his injuries didn't merit such concern. “No doctor.” He blinked a couple of times until the multiple Fionas resolved into one. “I'll live. My head is a bit bruised is all.”
            In retaliation, she took away both her hand and breast, which almost set Alex to groaning again. She actually smacked him on the arm. “Then don't frighten me like that....again.
            “Don't know why you let him in here at all,” came the grumble from the doorway.
            Untangling them both from the curtains, Fiona sat up. “Thank you, Mrs. Quick. I think we're all right now.”
            “Ya think that, do ya?”
            Fiona gave her the kind of glare that betrayed her aristocratic heritage. The housekeeper, still grumbling, clasped her hands in a parody of good servile behavior and stalked off down the hall.
            Fiona looked back down to where Alex lay, and he could see the cost of the last tumble on her face. He should have been outraged. He was lying in a nest of curtains with a fresh headache and the humiliation of his fall, and she was...laughing.
            She tried so hard not to. She held her hand to her mouth. She shook her head. He could see her shoulders heave. He would have chastised her, except the minute he opened his mouth, he burst out laughing, too.
            “You are not very beneficial to my amour propre,” he wheezed up at her.
            She couldn't stop laughing, full-throated, full-bellied, as if too much suppressed laughter had simply spilled over. “I...I....didn't...”
            “Mean it,” he managed, making it up as far as sitting beside her. “Yes, I know.”
            She frantically shook her head. “Think anything could be so...funny!” She was gasping, bent over her hands at her waist. “The look on your face!”
            He had meant to get up, to reassert his mastery of the situation. He refused to sacrifice this perfect moment with her on the floor. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he wiped at the tears that coursed down her cheeks.
            “It's not that funny,” he groused.
            She started laughing again. “Oh, yes it is. You can have no idea of how long it's been since I had the chance to laugh. Since I last saw your sister, I think.”
            He had to grin. “Well, yes. Pip would set anybody to laughing. She's a ridiculous little thing.”
            For that he got a resounding smack on his chest. “Do not dare speak ill of my best friend.” She hiccuped, her eyes widening a bit. “My only friend, actually. Except for Sarah and Lizzie. And now that Sarah is married to my brother, I have no idea at all how we will meet again.”
            There was the faintest plaintive note in her voice that made Alex want to curl her completely into his arms and shield her from hurt. Dear God, how lonely she must have been.           “I promise,” he said instead. “I fully respect my sister's loyalty. It's her good sense I frequently question.”
            Her breathing was evening out. She nodded. “Pip does have a knack for acting before thinking.”
            “She's like a whirlwind.”
            “She needs to finally capture her Beau,” Fiona said with a definite nod. “That would settle her down.”
            Alex snorted. “Poor Beau. He'd never have another moment's peace.”
            And for a long moment, they just sat there in a pool of sunlight and velvet, his arm around her and her head on his shoulder. It felt so good. So whole.
            It couldn't last. If he didn't move, he'd damn well take her here on the floor. He opened his mouth to tell her, and then made the mistake of meeting her gaze again.
            Her lips were still parted, but she wasn't laughing anymore. He could see the pulse jumping at her throat, and her hands were clenched again, as if she were trying hard to keep them to herself.
            He didn't know why. Lifting his own hand, he cupped her cheek. Again he gave her the chance to pull away. Again she didn't. His own heart started to skip around. He was rock hard. There was no longer a question. He had to kiss her.


Buy links:

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1FasQzq 
Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/1ukNFH7 
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1xon12i 




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