The Closing of Novel Thoughts

After much consideration we have decided to close Novel Thoughts. It wasn’t an easy decision to come to but it’s what we feel is right for us.

 

The support of so many have made this blog what it is and have our eternal gratitude.

 

First, a big thank you to Nancy at RR@H, who gave us this platform and encouraged us.

 

Thank you to the authors and publishers who shared so many amazing books here.

 

Most importantly, thank you to the readers. Thank you for sharing our excitement for upcoming books, cheering with us on books we loved, booing the books we hated, for sharing your passion for romance. And when we found the truly ridiculous, thank you for taking that trip down the rabbit hole with us. The WTFery is a lot more fun when you share it 😀

 

Thank you all for seven amazing years.

 

We will still be around Romanceland and can be found dishing books on twitter. (@mad4rombks and @lillie_80)

 

All our love,

Mad & Lillie

Christmas Actually by Melinda Curtis

Gina Vernay was in an accident as a child and has a scar down her right cheek. Since then, Gina has always sat on the sidelines, lacking the self-confidence to shine. Wanting what many of her friends have – love, a family – Gina signs up for an online dating account. But her picture doesn’t show her scar. And she’s always too busy running The Tea Cup in Christmas Town to meet anyone, much less a man to share a kiss under the mistletoe in the town’s gazebo. But when one persistent on-line suitor arranges to meet her on Christmas Eve, Gina’s life turns upside down.

 

The Christmas Date is the third novella in Christmas, Actually – three holiday stories about three siblings living in Christmas Town, where tradition has it that a kiss on Christmas Eve in the town square gazebo will lead to wedding bells in the new year!

 

~~~*~~~*~~~

 

Excerpt from The Christmas Date:

In the wee hours of Christmas Eve morning, Gina stood at the edge of the town square and traced the deep, jagged scar that ran from her left temple to her jawline with the tip of a gloved finger, as if her touch could erase the past. The small ball of worry, the one that hadn’t let her sleep last night, expanded like bread dough in her chest, pressing against her lungs.

I should have told him.

Snow fell silently, blanketing the square and the balsam firs lining it. The trees, mistletoe gazebo and surrounding quaint old buildings were draped in holiday lights. The town square looked like a snow globe, beautifully pristine and peaceful. The wind swirled around her, stealing her worried breath.

A whistled tune drifted through the darkness. “Jingle Bells.”

A block away, a figure appeared on Taylor Street. Nick Banning, the town handyman and whistler.

Gina sucked in cold, much-needed air. There was too much to do today for her to wallow in what-ifs. She hadn’t told him and this afternoon she’d face the consequences.

Carefully, Gina walked along the snowy sidewalk toward The Tea Pot. She’d bought the corner shop from her aunt last summer, trading in safe columns of numbers and isolated cubicles for early morning pastry making and running the place where everyone in town gathered.

Arriving at her doorstep just as she did, Nick finished a whistled chorus, his breath mingling with snowflakes. “Morning.” He had a boxy tool bag slung over his shoulder. Holiday lights softly illuminated his handsome, reassuring features. Nick was one of the few people in the world who made Gina feel at ease, despite her scar.

She hurried to unlock the door and get them out of the cold. Once inside, she scuffed her boot soles across the extra large doormat, ridding them of snow. “When I asked you to show up first thing, I didn’t really think you’d show up this early…whistling.”

“No reason not to whistle.” He stomped the snow from his feet, first on the outside grill, then on the inside mat. “Big day today.”

She had the distinct impression that he knew she had a date this afternoon, and was teasing her about it. Gina flipped on the lights and peered at Nick. He tugged off his knit cap and slid it into a coat pocket, revealing short dark hair, a gaze that didn’t mock and a familiar, lopsided grin.

Nick caught her staring. His grin widened. “What? You forgot today’s Christmas Eve? The annual Christmas pageant? The night Santa Claus comes to town?”

“No…I…no.” Of course he didn’t know about her blind date. Well, it wasn’t exactly a blind date. In her continued quest to de-comfort zone herself, she’d signed up for an online dating service and had been instant messaging a guy named Football20 for a week. He was going to introduce himself to her in person this afternoon. They planned to have coffee together. That was, if he didn’t take one look at her scar and bail.

 

Bio/Release Info:

Award winning, USA Today bestseller Melinda Curtis writes the Harmony Valley series of sweet and emotional romances for Harlequin Heartwarming, and the indie pubbed Bridesmaid series. Brenda Novak says: “Season of Change has found a place on my keeper shelf”. Melinda also writes independently published, hotter romances as Mel Curtis. Jayne Ann Krentz says of Blue Rules: “Sharp, sassy, modern version of a screwball comedy from Hollywood’s Golden Age except a lot hotter.”

Buy Links for Christmas, Actually:

Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=54438&cid=3302

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lYn3th

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/christmas-actually

B&N: http://bit.ly/1swLb6M

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/christmas-actually/id894793893?mt=11

 

Special Offers/Freebies:

Readers of this blog will be emailed a FREE sweet, fun novella set within the Hollywood Rules world by signing up for Melinda’s book release email newsletter. Link: http://www.melindacurtis.net/join-melinda-s-mailing-list

 

Website: http://www.MelindaCurtis.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelindaCurtisAuthor

Twitter: @MelCurtisAuthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/melcurtisauthor/

 

 

Romancing the Billionaire by Jessica Clare – Blog tour and giveaway

The New Billionaire Boys Club novel by the New York Times bestselling author.

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society. Six men of astonishing wealth. But there’s one thing money can’t buy. When it comes to love, success doesn’t come so easily…

Jonathan Lyons. Playboy, billionaire, and adventurer, he lives life on the edge. When he hears that his mentor, Dr. Phineas DeWitt, had a secret journal that leads to a legendary artifact, Jonathan takes action. It stirs his blood, but it comes with a heady challenge: DeWitt’s daughter Violet. She has what Jonathan needs. And she’s not giving it up it to the man who broke her heart.

Violet is Jonathan’s weakness—he’s still in love despite their volatile breakup a decade ago. But Violet’s memories have a sharper edge. She’s never forgiven him for abandoning her. Or so she thought. When Jonathan’s attentions turn seductive, she’s in danger of falling for him all over again. And she can’t help but wonder…does he really want her, or just what she’s hiding?

 

 

Purchase links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Romancing-Billionaire-Boys-Club-Novel-ebook/dp/B00FX7LW48/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/romancing-the-billionaire-jessica-clare/1118515434?ean=9780425275788

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/romancing-the-billionaire

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/romancing-the-billionaire/id761048533?mt=11

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Romancing-Billionaire-Jessica-Clare/9780425275788

Books A Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Romancing-Billionaire/Jessica-Clare/Q892326971?id=6134912684285

 

GIVEAWAY

To enter Jessica Clare’s rafflecopter giveaway for a Kindle Voyage click HERE.

Facing the Music winner!

Eileen

wins Facing the Music by Andrea Laurence

*

Congrats! To claim your prize, please email mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces). You have 48 hours to email before a new name is chosen.

Breaking the Rules by Mel Curtis

 

 

 

Excerpt:

Vivian Gordon had a problem.

A six-foot-two-inch hunk of a problem.

Sex with Jack hadn’t solved the problem. Marrying him hadn’t solved the problem. Leaving him hadn’t solved the problem.

The problem was that Viv loved her husband, but Jack didn’t love her.

It wasn’t as if Jack was incapable of love, as some of Hollywood moguls seemed to be. No, Jack had passion aplenty, but it was for the NBA team he owned, the L.A. Flash, not for a woman. Not for Viv.

Viv watched Jack swim his daily laps with strong, commanding strokes. Heaven forbid Jack didn’t get his laps in. If he didn’t, he was the biggest shit.

Her Gianvito Rossi black suede lace up heels clicked slowly across the white marble tile as she approached the patio doors in the house they’d once shared. Her cadence was one of a doomed prisoner being shown the open door of the gas chamber.

This is the end.

And she’d chosen the execution date.

 

Buy Links:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/breaking-the-rules/id917829215?ls=1&mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/breaking-the-rules-29

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NHDOZT4

 

 

Special Offers:

Readers of this blog can download a FREE copy of Amber Rules from Melinda’s web site October 28-November 3, 2014. Three books are currently out in the series. Link: www.MelindaCurtis.net Username: Amber_Rules Password: blogtour2014

 

Readers of this blog will be sent a FREE sweet new adult novella set within the Hollywood Rules world by signing up for Melinda’s book release email newsletter. Link: http://www.melindacurtis.net/join-melinda-s-mailing-list

 

Bio/Info

Melinda Curtis is an award winning, USA Today bestselling author. She writes the fun, steamy Hollywood Rules series as Mel Curtis. Jayne Ann Krentz says of Blue Rules: “Sharp, sassy, modern version of a screwball comedy from Hollywood’s Golden Age except a lot hotter.” Melinda also writes the Harmony Valley series of sweet and emotional romances for Harlequin Heartwarming, and the indie-pubbed Bridesmaid series. Brenda Novak says: “Season of Change has found a place on my keeper shelf”.

Website: http://www.MelindaCurtis.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelindaCurtisAuthor

Guest Post: Does Size Matter? by Andrea Laurence

Five years ago, high school sweethearts Ivy and Blake’s relationship imploded and both their lives were changed forever. Ivy became a rock star and Blake lost not only his dreams of a successful NFL career, but his reputation. Ivy’s angry song about their breakup, called “Size Matters”; hit the top of the charts and Blake became a national laughingstock. He’s salvaged his career and returned to Rosewood to be the high school football coach, regaining his status as town hero and leading the boys to the state championships.

 

When a tornado whips through town and destroys the high school gymnasium and stadium, a committee is formed to help rebuild and plan some charity fundraisers. Blake’s grandmother requests that Ivy return to Rosewood for the events. Forced back together for the good of their hometown and their careers, Ivy and Blake have no choice but to put aside their differences, stop running from their pasts, and finally face the music.

~~~*~~~*~~~

 

Does Size Matter?

Did that title get your attention? I’m betting so. In my new southern contemporary, Facing the Music, the heroine is a rock star that has made her career writing songs about her exes that aren’t so flattering. Ivy’s first song, her breakout hit, was called “Size Matters”. It was written about her high-school sweetheart after she finds he’s made out with a cheerleader while they were apart. The song becomes an anthem for underwhelmed women everywhere and her ex, Blake, becomes a national laughingstock.

 

Now, in full disclosure, the song isn’t really about Blake’s junk. It’s about the size of his heart and how he was holding back in their relationship, but you’d only get that if you really listened to the lyrics. If you just sang along with the chorus, it’s all about a woman who admits she’s lied when she told her lover that size didn’t matter. Here’s a few lines from the song:

 

Size matters…

I said it didn’t, I didn’t mean it

I told you everything was fine

But size does matter

 

Blake and Ivy have a big hurdle to get over when she returns to her home town and they’re forced to work together for the common good. Both of them have some apologizing to do, some growing up to do and some lost time to make up for.

 

But it does raise an interesting and controversial question.

 

Does size matter?

 

As with all romance heroes, Blake is not lacking in the physical attributes department, which Ivy finally admits. If romance novels are supposed to be driven by women’s fantasies, it would seem that size does matter. And yet, is there too much of a good thing? Is it more about what you can do with it? Let’s have a discussion. Be honest and tell me what you think and maybe we can answer this question once and for all…

 

— Andrea Laurence

 

Excerpt from Facing the Music

 

“I wish I could silence every iPod in America,” Blake retorted. “I would consider it a public service—protecting the general population from bitter, autotuned, subpar pop music.”

 

“First,” Ivy said, taking a few steps toward him. Her spine was ramrod straight and defiant, pressing her breasts against her silky top and giving him unhelpful flashbacks to today’s earlier encounter. “My music is not autotuned. I am not a belly-baring teenage pop princess. I play my own instruments. I perform live. I write my own music. And if that music is bitter, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”

 

“Blame?” Blake laughed. “I think I should get a cut of those four million sales. Before I broke your heart, your songs were nothing but the sad refrains of coffeehouse open mic nights.”

 

Ivy’s mouth fell open, her response stolen from her lips. It was a low blow and he knew it. Ivy had struggled with her music for months. He knew how hard she’d worked and how her professors just hadn’t seen the emotion and spark that made her songs special.

 

Grant sidled up. “That’s probably not the best idea,” he noted. “Never piss off a woman with a dart in her hand unless you fancy an eye patch.”

 

Blake smiled and shook off his brother’s suggestion. “I’m not too worried about that. I remember watching her out on the field during gym in high school. Her aim was never that great.”

 

“It may not be,” Ivy said, recovering herself. “But at least if I stuck something in you, you’d notice.”

 

A roar of voices and laughter followed her insult. Blake sighed. Why did she always go for the small-dick jokes? He didn’t have one. He wanted to scream it at the top of his lungs, but it would only make him look like he protested too much. No one would believe him, and he wasn’t about to start wagging it at strangers on the street to prove his point. It was above average. And an excellent performer, too, if his reviews could be trusted. He’d never heard any complaints.

 

Ivy, of course, didn’t count.

 

Author Biography

Andrea Laurence has been a lover of reading and writing stories since she learned to read at a young age. She always dreamed of seeing her work in print and is thrilled to finally be able to share her special blend of sensuality and dry, sarcastic humor with the world. A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, she’s working on her own “happily ever after” with her boyfriend and their collection of animals including a Siberian Husky that sheds like nobody’s business.

Social Networking Links

Website: http://andrealaurence.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAndreaLaurence

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Andrea_Laurence

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5398672.Andrea_Laurence

~~~*~~~*~~~

GIVEAWAY

For the chance to win Facing the Music by Andrea Laurence just leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn on Sunday. Good luck!

 

Winners!

Joye

wins A Place Called Harmony by Jodi Thomas

*

cmucha319

wins  How to Handle a Heartbreaker by Marie Harte

*

Congrats! To claim your prize, please email mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces). You have 48 hours to email before a new name is chosen.

Marie Harte – Guest Blog and Giveaway

I can’t believe it’s here! The third book in my four book series—the McCauley Brothers—has arrived.

Ruining Mr. Perfect introduces two of my favorite characters in the series. (Okay, yes, I love them all. But I have to admit Cam and Vanessa were truly made for each other.) They’re two brainy people who need each other more than they know. Cameron is the square peg in a family full of round holes. He’s a financier, the odd duck not following in his father’s and brothers’ blue-collar tradition.

Vanessa is a brainy CPA, a perfectionist who knows her worth…or does she? When it comes to numbers and her job, she knows she’s amazing. She’s pretty, intelligent, and in great shape. But she’s hopeless when it comes to meaningful interpersonal relationships—especially with men.

Cameron makes her feel things she’s not used to. And she wants things to work between them, even though she knows their relationship will probably end before it starts.

This book was so much fun to write. I got to revisit the brothers and their respective loves from the previous two books. But this story belongs to Cam and Vanessa… and to Cam’s parents, who’ve been building to some tough decisions.

For me, the magic of the McCauleys is in the way they love each other, tease each other, and sometimes annoy the heck out of each other. They’re family in all the ways that matter. And the same with the heroine and her family—Maddie and Abby, her roommates (though Maddie is also a blood relation.) They share, as much as Vanessa can, and love each other. Through thick and thin, they stick. We get a peek at why Vanessa is the way she is, and that there’s so much more to her under the surface. And we get to see that Cam isn’t as happy being different as he lets on.

Take a peek at Ruining Mr. Perfect, and happy reading!

Ten minutes later, Colin sat fat and happy with her and the girls as they watched an old Godzilla movie. It was as if the corner had never happened. Man, to be that young and innocent. But innocent was a relative term. Vanessa had once been six, but she’d never been so carefree. She’d never eaten cookies with her parents or watched television with them. Not unless the program could be classified as educational.

“So who’s our green lizard fighting?” Maddie asked as she munched on processed popcorn. “Mega-somebody?”

“Not Mothra, I don’t think.” Abby frowned. “Megaguirus, maybe?”

Vanessa cringed. “That you even know which monsters he fights is a bit frightening.”

“You’re so smart, Abby.” Colin continued to consume sugar at a frightening rate. But since Vanessa would soon be returning him to Mike, and the kid had owned up to his issues, she figured he deserved it.

“Yeah, smart at B-movies and how to handle blondes—myself excluded.” Vanessa smirked.

Abby stuck up her hand and peeled down all her fingers but the middle one, then put her hand back before Colin observed the profane gesture.

“Crude but effective. On that note, I’m getting something to eat. How you guys can shovel that crap in your mouths is beyond me.”

“Everything is ‘beyond you,’” Maddie muttered. “Including fun.”

“I heard that.”

Colin laughed with the others.

Vanessa laughed with them as she walked away, but deep down she had to wonder if Maddie was right. So many people saw her as this robotic, cold woman. Just because she enjoyed something as dry as accounting and didn’t take shit from losers, she was labeled the un-fun roommate. Well, numbers didn’t lie. Numbers delivered the same thing to everyone. No playing favorites, no changing rules. Once you had a formula, it stuck and made sense.

She’d spent enough time with her cousins to know that her parents had borderline personality disorders. Neither of them could tell her they loved her, if they felt it at all. She’d never hurt for food or a roof over her head, but their affection they doled only on their studies. Geniuses in their respective fields of mathematical and physical research, yet complete dumbasses when it came to celebrating a birthday, holiday, or kissing a boo-boo.

Fortunately, Vanessa had grandparents and cousins, and good old Aunt Michelle—Maddie’s mom—who loved to hug and kiss and play the doting aunt. Still, life with her parents had taken its toll. While Vanessa knew why she at times behaved too rationally or emotionlessly, she was helpless to stop being herself.

A flaw.

More truth. Sometimes she hated her overwhelming need to be honest with everyone.

As she rummaged in the cabinet for her organically grown corn kernels and oil for popping, the backdoor rattled. She turned to see Cameron’s face in the window, and her heart raced.

Exhaling a long breath, she forced herself to be calm and crossed to unlock the door. “Yes?”

It was either move back or be walked over, so she stepped back while he entered and shut the door behind him.

“Just checking on the little guy,” Cam said in a low voice. “Mike can be such a hoverer—”

“Where’s the boy?” Mike asked from behind him.

She pointed to the hallway. “Living room.”

Mike left, and she and Cameron stared after him. Mike returned moments later, gave Vanessa a nod and a grunt—of approval?—and left.

“Told you he’s mental about the kid,” Cam reiterated.

She frowned. “Did he really need to check on me? What? He thought I might beat Colin for taking my candy?”

“Nah. I kind of hinted he might want to see what you guys were up to so I could come with him. To see you.” Cameron smiled at her.

How she’d ever called him average with a straight face, she didn’t know. The man was her every fantasy made flesh. A great body, handsome face, and amazing mind. And God, he could kiss. As much as she wished she didn’t continually replay their embrace, she hadn’t forgotten that kiss at Christmas.

“Oh?” Damn, she sounded out of breath.

Cameron stalked her until she realized he’d backed her into a corner of the kitchen, away from the view from the hallway.

“Cameron?”

He planted his hands on either side of her on the counter. What the hell?

“The guys are on break while we order pizza. The crap kind from a chain.” He sighed. “What can you do?” He glanced at her popcorn and grinned. “Oh, that’s my favorite. Just a bit of oil and it pops up a storm.” He looked back at her mouth. “Great taste.” Pause. “I just came over to say what a good job you did being firm with Colin.”

“Ah, okay.”

He moved in closer.

“Cameron?” she squeaked on a whisper, for some odd reason not wanting the others to know he was here with her.

“Your lips are so red. So pretty. Do you wear lipstick?” He leaned in and kissed her before she could answer or even think to refuse.

Vanessa stood still, letting him control the kiss, his lips soft yet firm, his tongue sipping then penetrating slowly. No rush, but a leisurely exploration that turned her knees to jelly.

He moaned low in his throat and deepened the kiss. Not enough to overpower her, but enough that she felt a raging lust to wrap her legs around him and hold on until the storm passed.

Instead she remained frozen, her hands gravitating to his waist, her mouth under his.

He eased back. His blue eyes looked cloudy, his lips slick from their kiss. He smiled, and the curl of that grin shook her foundation, made her want with a passion that shocked her.

Ruining Mr. Perfect

 

Amazon

B&N

BAM

Indiebound

Chapters

Kobo

 

Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit http://marieharte.com and fall in love.

 

 

 ~~~*~~~*~~~

For the chance to win a copy of How to Handle a Heartbreaker by Marie Harte, just leave a comment below. Good luck!

A Place Called Harmony by Jodi Thomas – Guest Blog and Giveaway

Desperate to escape his overbearing father, Patrick McAllen disappears with his bride, heading north to build a new town—discovering strength, honor and true love along the way. After drinking away the grief from his family’s death, Clint Truman avoids jail by taking a job in North Texas and settling down with a woman he vows to protect but never love—until her quiet compassion slowly breaks his hardened heart wide open… All Gillian Matheson has ever known is Army life, leaving his true love to be a part-time spouse. But when a wounded Gillian returns home to find her desperately fighting to save their marriage, he’s determined to become the husband she deserves. Amidst storms, outlaws, and unwelcome relatives, the three couples band together to build a town—and form a bond that breathes life into the place that will forever be called Harmony.

 

~~~*~~~*~~~

 

In A PLACE CALLED HARMONY readers will be looking at Harmony for the first time.  I enjoyed writing about the three men who were brave enough to travel half of Texas to build a town.  All three men came to me full and strong as did the women who loved them.  From the opening I was running full gallop with a plot.  With my great-grandmother’s chest sitting in front of my desk, I felt like I was loading up the wagon and heading for a new life.

 

Many times during the writing of this story I felt all three men standing behind me telling me their lives.  Patrick McAllen, young and full of dreams, thought of it as an adventure and believed love came easy.  Clint Truman felt old at thirty and didn’t believe in love.  When he heard he had to have a wife to get the job, he went to the prison gate and picked the first woman walking out.  And then there was Captain Gillian Matheson who loved his wife but also loved adventure.

 

All three men were prepared for the challenge of building a town but unprepared for the depth of love they found as they build their families.

 

I loved writing these men and I hope the readers will follow me into this historical romance.  If you’ve read a Harmony book, you’ll feel like you already know the characters.  If you’ve never read one this book would be a great place to start.  So, step into Harmony for the first time as the three families build a town while they form bonds and loves that last a lifetime.

 

Enjoy the adventure,

Jodi Thomas

~~~*~~~*~~~

For more information, including preorder links, visit www.jodithomas.com. And for a chance to win a copy of A Place Called Harmony, just leave a comment below. Good luck!

Melinda Curtis – Guest Blog and Giveaway

 

The Christmas Promise by Melinda Curtis

They used to call her the Bon-Bon Heiress…Tiffany Bonander (of Bon-Bon Chocolates) grew up in New York with a silver spoon, a heart of gold, and a lifelong supply of sweets. But now her life is falling apart. Recent changes in cocoa supply are threatening the quality of the family’s chocolate and sales are down. Add to that Tiff’s penchant for falling in love quickly and breaking engagements at the last minute…Now they call her the Bon-Voyage Bride. Can this socialite turn around a cocoa plantation in South America?

Jackson Hardaway is trekking through the Andes in Ecuador as a tribute to a fallen comrade. This wounded warrior didn’t expect to meet a beautiful damsel in distress and her three fairy godmothers…er, trio of meddlesome nuns…on his journey. But everything in Ecuador is bigger – the trees, the snakes, the attraction. Is this love? Or just another case made to label Tiff a runaway bride? Find out in The Wedding Promise (part Runaway Bride/part Romancing the Stone).

Excerpt:

It was raining. Again.

Tiffany Bonander tried humming a few bars of White Christmas. It was, after all, December 23. Cheer was called for.

But the incessant beat of fat raindrops on the tangled foliage of the Ecuadorian rainforest and on her pink rain slicker, drowned out her cheer.

Or maybe she was just drowning under the pressure of heavy responsibilities.

Ankle-deep water rushed down the steep, muddy road toward Tiff and her precious cargo–thirty pounds of cocoa beans. She couldn’t lose the beans. They were the answer to all her troubles.

Thunder boomed. And boomed again. The downpour increased to a deluge.

Tightening her grip on the wheelbarrow handles, Tiff tried to find purchase with her rain boots, tried to make it to the next rise before the road turned into a river. Tried…and failed.   Somewhere above her the river had risen high enough to crest a bank. Water surged toward her.

Tiff’s father claimed they’d abandoned this cocoa plantation years ago for drainage reasons. He should have used the F-word: flood.

Tiff stumbled to her knees, and water rushed into her boots–cute, pink-flowered plastic ones which quickly filled with water and felt as heavy as cement shoes. If not for her grip on the wheelbarrow, she might have been swept downhill. Just last week, she’d heard about a woman who’d been carried away by the cresting river and smashed into a tree. Smashed as in: to pieces. Dead.

That would be worse than being broke and the laughing-stock of the civilized world.

This was karma, plain and simple. She shouldn’t have jilted Chad at their engagement party or left Malcolm at the altar.

 

Bio/Release Info:

Melinda Curtis is an award winning, USA Today recommended, Amazon best selling author. She writes the Harmony Valley series of sweet and emotional romances for the Harlequin Heartwarming line (book 4 coming 3/2015). Brenda Novak says: “Season of Change has found a place on my keeper shelf”. Melinda also writes independently published, steamy and fun romances as Mel Curtis (a new novella out 10/22). Jayne Ann Krentz says of Blue Rules: “Sharp, sassy, modern version of a screwball comedy from Hollywood’s Golden Age except a lot hotter.”

The Christmas Promise is available in the Sweet Christmas Kisses anthology (14 sweet holiday stories for 99¢ available now!).

Buy Links for Sweet Christmas Kisses:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Zd6FuJ

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1lVUtc2

Kobo: http://bit.ly/ZgZ2mZ

B&N: http://indi.uno/1mvOISk

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1nbyOgR

 

Special Offers/Freebies:

Join the authors of Sweet Christmas Kisses for a Facebook release party with prizes, freebies, and fun on 9/30. Guest authors include RaeAnn Thayne, Brenda Novak, and Jayne Ann Krentz. Join the party at 3pm Eastern: https://www.facebook.com/SweetRomanceReads

 

Readers of The Romance Reader @ Heart blog will be emailed a FREE fun, sweet novella set within the Hollywood Rules world by signing up for Melinda’s book release email newsletter. Link: http://www.melindacurtis.net/join-melinda-s-mailing-list

 

Website: http://www.MelindaCurtis.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelindaCurtisAuthor

Twitter: @MelCurtisAuthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/melcurtisauthor/