Emily March, Eternity Springs, and the Boxer Rescue

Married for more than twenty years, and with her children out of the nest, Ali Timberlake has come to Eternity Springs alone.  She’s looking for answers to hearbreaking questions and searching for something that’s missing deep within herself.  Taking a lease on the Bristlecone Cafe in pursuit of a lifelong dream, Ali feels revitalized as she becomes part of this charming mountain town.  But a big piece of her is still back in Denver with her husband, Mac, a successful judge–and a man who isn’t going to let the woman he loves leave without a fight.

 When Mac shows up in Eternity Springs–sexy, seductive, and determined to win his wife back–he experiences the wonder of the place that has given Ali such feelings of happpiness and belonging.  He wants that for her, but even more, he wants that with her.  Ali has found a special place for her heart.  But is there still enough room left in that heart for him?

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

From ANGEL’S REST,

Eternity Springs #1

 Arf, arf, arf. It pounced again, his forelegs landing on Gabe’s chest, and a long wet tongue rolling out to lick his face.

A dog.

Gabe’s breath fogged on the air as he let out a heavy sigh, pushed the dog off his chest, and sat up. It was a goofy, too friendly, starved to skin-and-bones boxer with floppy ears and a crooked tail. Gabe turned his face as the tongue came back and bathed his face in slobber once again.

Then, for the first time in months, John Gabriel Callahan smiled.

From Hummingbird Lake

Eternity Springs # 2

 The gift he’d left was no stuffed animal or hockey stick or flavored lip balm. This wasn’t a basket in her bed. It was a bed in her bed. A dog bed.

This time, his gift had a heartbeat.

Colt Rafferty had left her a puppy. A puppy! A little white puff ball of curls wearing a red collar tied with a big red bow, curled up and asleep on a purple pillow.

A folded gift card hung from a ribbon threaded through the wicker. In a state of shock, Sage reached for it and read his bold handwriting.

She’s a Bichon Frise and she’s lonely. She’s had all her shots and Nic says she’s healthy and ready to be loved. I left dog food, bowls, a leash, some toys, and a silly dog sweater Celeste pushed on me in a sack in your kitchen. (Please, though, don’t humiliate the poor dog by dressing her up.)

She’s ready for you, Sage, and you’re ready for her. You bring smiles to the lives of others through your work. Let this little furball bring smiles to your life through play. – Colt

From Heartache Falls

Eternity Springs #3

As Mac pulled into his driveway and parked the truck, he wished Ali were home so he could tell her about it.

But Ali wasn’t at home. No one was home. He was alone. Totally alone.

With that thought, Mac’s throat went tight. Dear Lord, he was tired of this. Feeling lonely. Feeling empty. Feeling old and used up.

His shifted into park and switched off the motor. Shutting his eyes, he let his head drop back against the headrest. He thought he just might cry. He hadn’t cried since Judge Roscoe Whitcomb sentenced his mother to jail the first time, but here in his very own driveway on a sunny Saturday in springtime, tears were welling up inside him. How pitiful was that?

Screw this.

He sat up straight, twisted the key, and started the engine once more. If he wasn’t mistaken, the animal shelter was open until two. “I’m gonna go get me a dog.”

In ANGEL’S REST, a dog literally saves Gabe Callahan’s life. In HUMMINGBIRD LAKE, a puppy helps Sage Anderson recover from a traumatic event. In HEARTACHE FALLS, a mutt rescued from the pound provides companionship for Mac Timberlake when he needs it the most.

Dogs play a special role in the Eternity Springs series because they play a special role in my life. My husband and I foster boxers for a local rescue group, Legacy Boxer Rescue, http://www.savetheboxers.com. We adopted our dog, Doc, from Legacy four years ago–despite the fact he walked into my house and had explosive diarreah on my dining room floor–and he’s been such a joy in our lives. Last spring after Legacy sent an email (with photos) begging for new foster homes for dogs on death row, my husband and I decided to help out that one time.

“Yeah, right,” she says nine dogs later.

Last June I brought home a new foster. Meet Angel, named for ANGEL’S REST. Angel had been hit by a car she’d suffered a broken leg and fractured pelvis, she had hookworms and unfortunately, heartworms. Poor Angel totally captured my heart. She remained on strict crate rest for weeks and in mid-August, we discover that she was expecting some little Angels of her own. Angel gave birth to six puppies, three boys and three girls. Mama and the Angel Babies did great and LBR set about finding the perfect forever homes not just for one dog, but for seven.

In February, healed and healthy and ready for adoption, Angel met a potential forever family who had two young children and another dog. Angel prissed and primmed and played and the family fell in love. Angel had found her forever home!

I missed her dreadfully, especially during the daytime when I’m at work in my office and Angel wasn’t there at her “Angel’s Rest,” gazing out the window at the world.

Because our spring schedules involved a lot of traveling, we took a little break from fostering after Angel found her family, but the good thing about rescue organizations is that there’s always opportunity to volunteer in one way or another. We volunteered to be foster “sitters” to help the rescue group save on boarding fees when foster families go out of town and need someone to care for their foster dog. Now that our schedules have calmed down a bit, the Boxers-In-Need page of the rescue’s website is calling out to me. By Memorial Day, I’m sure we’ll have a new foster to love on. That’s what rescue is all about.

To all my readers who are also animal lovers, I encourage you to consider fostering for a rescue group in your area. It’s truly rewarding. If you have any questions about our experience as volunteers for a dog rescue group, please ask! If you have any comments our questions about my Eternity Springs series, please ask those too.

Read Full Post »

THE BUNDLE by Tim Smith – Review *slight spoiler*

Vic Fallon had little use for the rich and famous when he was a police detective and his attitude hasn’t changed since he was forced to turn in his badge. When pop singer Kimberly Daniels returns to her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to promote her latest album, Vic reluctantly agrees to be her bodyguard as a favor for a friend. He isn’t told that she has a death threat hanging over her head, with no shortage of suspects. The set-up takes a bizarre twist when her stalker shows up and Vic uncovers a family secret Kimberly would like to keep hidden. Things get more complex when they develop a strong attraction for each other, in spite of their different lifestyles. Can Vic ensure Kimberly’s safety until she returns to LA? Will Kimberly decide to ditch her glitzy celebrity life and stay with the rugged ex-cop she’s fallen for?

~~~*~~~*~~~

It took me awhile to get into this book but by the end, I did enjoy the mystery of it. The unveiling of clues and how they relate to Kimberly’s past was really well done.

The romance didn’t work quiet as well for me and I think a lot of that has to do with the story being mostly from Vic’s point of view. It makes sense that it is mostly his POV since it is “The Vic Fallon Mystery” series but I didn’t get a connection  with the heroine at all. Without that connection, it’s hard to root for their happily ever after. Which is a good thing, really. If I was invested in the HEA, I would have been really upset at the end of this book. I can accept this kind of ending in a suspense or urban fantasy, but not in something labeled as a romance.

If you are looking for a good mystery, I recommend The Bundle. If you are looking for a straight romance, this book isn’t for you.

To purchase THE BUNDLE, visit Extasy Books.

To learn more about Tim Smith, visit www.timsmithauthor.com.

Read Full Post »

Please welcome Jenna Bayley-Burke

Once their love was under wraps. Now it’s burning up the sheets.

Three months ago, Megan Carlton had the world on a string. That was before the man she loved took over her family’s hotel business and wiped out a family fortune it had taken generations to build. And before she caught him kissing another woman.

Her only solace: the secrecy of their affair saved the family from public scandal, and kept her embarrassment private. Meanwhile, with a mountain of self-confidence to rebuild, she trades her Manolos and late-night parties for coffee-stained sneakers and early morning barista shifts.

Brandon Knight had everything he ever wanted—then the woman of his dreams disappeared without one word of explanation. When he finds Megan serving coffee, he wonders if the socialite is suffering from amnesia. A hot venti to the chest proves she recognizes him. But she’s got the situation—and him—all wrong. All he has to do now is prove it.

Warning :: Samhain Publishing cannot be held responsible for any characters harmed by flying handbags, improper use of a door or the misguided application of hickies. All activities involving lingerie, towels or ice cream are to be executed with extreme caution.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

All right, I’ll admit it. I love reality TV. It’s all about the shopping. I love watching people with too much money spend it. Give me a celebutant – Aubrey, Audrina, Paris, Kim – I’ll watch her reality show while I chase dust bunnies and toddlers, no problem. But then…these girls got me thinking.

There are trust fund babies that you only hear about in whispers when they do something amazing. Lauren Bush does fantastic charity work…yet we only hear when she models or gets engaged. And yet, no matter what she does, everyone expects her to simple stand still and look pretty.

That’s where Megan came from, a girl to whom much was given, and so she constantly gave until everything was taken away. Under the umbrella of suspicion and without a dime to her name, Megan has to start over from rock bottom.

Not the liveliest place to start a story, but Megan has enough sass and spunk to keep most situations in perspective! No matter what, she’ll never let anyone be in the driver’s seat of her life again, even if the man she loves to hate is offering her a platinum path back to Beverly Hills.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

A big thank you to Jenna for joining us today!

To find out more about Jenna and her books, please visit www.jennabayleyburke.com.

Read Full Post »

SABINE by Moira Rogers – Review

Release date: May 3, 2011

After three years at war, the High Lord of the Forest returns to his lands, a victorious wolf leader intent on claiming his mate. Instead Ciar finds an empty bed and a court with no recollection of the woman he loved. Following her long-cold trail proves far easier than facing what awaits him at the end.

Sabine’s first instinct is to beg her beloved to leave. The High Lord’s mother hired a witch to curse Sabine, desperate to wipe the lowborn wolf from her son’s mind. But the spell worked too well, and Sabine has vanished from the thoughts of everyone who sees her. Including her own family.

The edges of his memory already blurring, Ciar and Sabine must race to find a way to reverse the spell. Yet every searing moment together is not enough to stop the curse’s inexorable progress. His only chance is to bind Sabine to him too tightly to be forgotten, before she disappears once and for all.

Warning: This story contains cruel betrayal, destined love, vile curses, smoldering reunions, wicked deeds between wanton shapeshifters and a happily-ever-after worthy of any fairy tale.

~*~*~*~*~

This is how I like short stories. A short prologue that gives me the details of the world and then immediately grabbing my attention with the first chapter. With just a few paragraphs I was intrigued, curious, and wanting more.

No one talked about the wild woman in the forest.

Mothers did not scare recalcitrant children into good behavior with stories of how the woman would snatch them from their beds as they slept. Green recruits to the warlords’ armies did not boast of how they’d fought her and bested her magic. There were no whispered rumors, no legends, no cautionary tales.

Any of these things might have been, had anyone spoken of the woman in the first place. But no one did, for no one could.

No one remembered her at all.

This was a fast-paced book but it didn’t feel rushed at any point. Ciar’s determination to beat the curse and Sabine’s despair that a cure can not be found is so poignant that it gave me a real emotional investment in the story and their HEA.

This review is a little shorter than the ones I usually do but… it’s a short story. Saying anything else would just be giving the story away 🙂

You can find an excerpt at http://www.moirarogers.com/sabine

Read Full Post »

Winners!

 

Darcy

wins A SONG FOR MY MOTHER by Kat Martin

*

ElaineSay

wins WHEREVER YOU ARE by Sharon Cullen

*

Congratulations to  the winners! You have 48 hours to contact me at lillie80 at gmail dot com to claim your prize.

Read Full Post »

Infinite Betrayal by Gayle Donnelly and Robyn Mackenzie – Review

He would protect her with his life…

Mathias has been ordered to protect Mina Roarke at all costs while keeping her Father’s secrets concealed.  But from the moment he sees her, the hunger he’s desperately tried to bury, roars to life.  The beast within is awakened and wants only one thing…Mina.

But when his enemies target her life, Mina and Mathias become caught in a lethal game of revenge.   To save her, Mathias must not only expose the truth…but also what lies deep within him.

She was just looking for answers….

Mina had always been told she was special. In what way, she never fully understood until her life and everything she thought she knew and believed in was turned completely upside down.

After the unexpected death of her mother, Mina finds clues about her past that trigger more questions than answers. Her quest to find those answers thrusts Mina deep into the Black Forest of Germany and into the arms of a man who tests her control…in more ways than one.  She is wrenched from her own reality into a world filled with adrenaline-charged danger, blazing sexual heat, and the answers that have been hidden her entire life.

Mina alone holds the power to change her future but when she comes face to face with ultimate betrayal, can she still trust in the one man that has captured her heart?

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

This debut book started off a little slow but by the end of chapter one, I was fully invested in Mina and her quest to uncover the secrets of her past. A lot of that has to do with Mina herself. This is no Mary Sue heroine. She has flaws. She has a temper, a nicotine addiction that she can’t quite kick, and she trusts very few people. After her mother’s death, her world is rocked when she finds out that she has a father that her mother lied about. Her realistic reactions hooked me and led me on a pretty amazing adventure.

The world building in INFINITE BETRAYAL is solid. I was given enough details about the society without it being an info dump. The romance between Mina and Mathias is hot and emotional. Mathias is a drool-worthy hero. There are creepy villains and interesting secondary characters.  But, for me, this is Mina’s story. Her journey from being a woman alone, afraid to trust, to taking her first steps into a new life, overcoming evil, learning to trust, and fighting for the HEA she deserves.

INFINITE BETRAYAL is an excellent start to a new series and I’m looking forward to book two.

 

INFINITE BETRAYAL can be purchase at Liquid Silver Books and you can find out more about Gayle Donnelly and Robyn Mackenzie at their website.

Read Full Post »

Time-travel, rolos, and Sharon Cullen

He’s in the fight of his life for a love that defies the centuries.

The last thing Juliana MacKenzie remembers is sitting in a friend’s kitchen. In Kansas City. In the twenty-first century. How did she wind up on a burning ship in the middle of the ocean—in the eighteenth century?

If that wasn’t enough to get her heart started, some dark corner of her memory responds to the ship’s enigmatic captain. A man whose touch ignites her senses even as he stubbornly holds her at arm’s length.

It’s almost too late when Morgan realizes his stowaway is not only female, but a woman from a life and a time he’d almost forgotten. Desire resurges like an undeniable tide—but he is not the man Juliana would remember. She has been unwittingly thrust into a dangerous world, and now she, too, is a target for the pirate who once enslaved him, who still hunts him across the seven seas.

Kidnapped by Morgan’s worst enemy, Juliana finds herself drawing on inner reserves she never knew she possessed. No way will she let anyone—not even the man she is growing to love—choose her path for her. And no way will she let him offer himself in trade for her freedom.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

I never intended to write Morgan’s story. He came to me as a secondary character in the very first historical romance I wrote and I only wrote that story to explore writing other genres. But along the way, something happened and I’m still not quite sure how it happened. Looking back I’m amazed I had no intention of giving Morgan his own book because Morgan and Juliana’s story is one of my favorites.

When I first started writing I knew I wanted to write romances but I wasn’t sure what genre I wanted to write. I’ve always, always loved time-travel—the mystery of it, the magic of it, the endless possibilities intrigued me. So it wasn’t too surprising when I decided to write a time-travel. The Mirror was my second completed manuscript. My first completed manuscript, titled Lady Jane, was about a female pirate whose best friend was also a pirate named Rolo. Yes, Morgan’s name was originally Rolo—named after the chocolate and caramel candy. I remember standing in line at the grocery store, seeing a pack of Rolos and thinking, “That’s what I’m going to name the other pirate. Rolo.” Now I laugh at such a name but back then I thought it was different and interesting.

I finished Lady Jane, put it away and decided to write The Mirror, a story about a girl who doesn’t quite fit in, who can’t keep a job due to various and funny things that happen to her and who finds a mirror stored in her attic that sends her back to post Civil War era where she meets a hunky sheriff. I just knew this story was going to be a hit and possibly create a bidding war among agents because it was that good (oh, my naiveté back then). I also knew readers liked to read series so my heroine had two brothers.

I finished her story and thought long and hard about her brothers’ stories. And that’s when it hit me. Rolo had always been somewhat mysterious to me but he was a minor character and I never really explored his mystery. Now I understood why he was mysterious. Because he was a time-traveler!

But a hero as big as Rolo needed a better name—a more heroic name. So Morgan he became. And his story became my obsession.

Wherever You Are was my fourth completed manuscript. I knew I had a winner but I was still a newbie writer and I knew I needed to grow as a writer. So over the next seven years I would work on Wherever You Are, revising, rewriting, applying everything I learned to this manuscript. I’d put it away for awhile then get it back out. Revise, rewrite, put it away.

Until finally the story was what I’d always envisioned it could be.

I am so pleased and excited that my editor at Samhain loved it as much as I did (and still do) and that I can share Morgan and Juliana’s story with you.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it (and rewriting it).

Leave a comment by midnight (EST) 4/6 and enter for a chance to win a downloadable copy of Wherever You Are.

**

Sharon Cullen is the author of ten books ranging from romantic suspense to contemporary romance to paranormal romance. To learn more about her, visit her website at http://www.SharonCullen.net. You can also friend her on Facebook at Sharon Cullen-Author or follow her on Twitter at SharonCullen. Her next release is another historical paranormal, a tale about the Knights Templar, that will be released by Carina Press on November 28, 2011.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Many thanks to Sharon for joining us today!

To find out more about Sharon, please visit www.sharoncullen.net. And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win WHEREVER YOU ARE. Good luck! 😀

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Kat Martin – My Mother’s Dream

Years after running away with her boyfriend in her junior year of high school, Marly Hanson returns to Dreyerville at the request of her daughter, Katie, who has recently been treated for brain cancer. Katie has never met her grandmother, Marly’s mother, Winnie. But Marly and Winnie have been estranged for years and confronting the past for each of them is painful. The homecoming is bittersweet, but revisiting the conflict between them is crucial if Marly and her mother are ever to find the bond they shared before Marly left Dreyerville.

To complicate matters, living next door to Winnie is handsome sheriff and widower Reed Bennett, and his son, Ham, who is close to Katie’s age. Ham and Katie become fast friends, while their parents find their attraction to one another going deeper than mere friendship. But Marly’s time in Dreyerville is limited and risking her heart isn’t something she’s willing to do.

As the days slip past, and though she tries to avoid it, Marly and Reed become more deeply involved. Can she risk loving the handsome sheriff and give up the the futer she worked so hard to forge for herself and her daughter? Can she make a life in Dreyerville after what happened all those years ago?

Will Marly finally realize that her true destiny and ultimate happiness lie in coming to terms with her past?

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

My mother dreamed of being a writer. When I was a girl, she talked about it often. In high school, Tulare Union in the San Joaquin Valley, she was the editor of her high school newspaper. She loved writing and more than anything, she wanted to go to college and become a journalist.

But the country was at war back then, and my grandparents were poor. My mother never achieved her dream, but I could hear the yearning in her voice when she talked about it, and maybe that was the seed that set me on the path to becoming a writer.

Or maybe it was the love for reading she instilled in me.

As a young woman, I saw reading as something I had to do to get through high school and then college. I enjoyed learning new things, and especially enjoyed reading history books. But reading just for fun? I couldn’t really imagine it.

Then I discovered the Bestseller List.

My mother loved every sort of book and particularly true crime murder books. But my tastes were not the same and other than the textbooks I read in college, I had no idea what to choose. I began picking up books off the top 15 bestseller list in the grocery store and discovered the wonderful world of fiction.

Books by Wilbur Smith and Danielle Steel, Sidney Sheldon, Frederick Forsythe, Herman Wouk, Arthur Haley, Robert Ludlum, Jack Higgins. Anya Seaton, Kathleen Winsor, and Frank Yerby wrote heartwrenching Romance novels.

I was hooked.

Over the years, my mother and I often traded books and then discussed them, which lots of moms do with their children today.

I loved reading, but a career as an author never crossed my mind until I was in my thirties and I met my husband, Larry, who was had written a western novel. It was a wonderful book and I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been able to get it published. I thought maybe I could help him by doing a little editing and during the process, realized how much I was enjoying the work.

I decided maybe I should try writing something myself and jumped in with both feet.

MAGNIFICENT PASSAGE was the result, my first published novel, which I am happy to say is being republished this July with a magnificent new cover.

More than fifty books later, my mother is gone, but I’m still reading, and I am still writing and I thank her every day for introducing me to the career I love so much.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Many thanks to Kat for joining us today!

For more information about Kat and her books, please visit katbooks.com. And to be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of A SONG FOR MY MOTHER (US/Canada only), just leave a comment below. Good luck! 😀

Read Full Post »

Winners!

 

Karen Robinson

wins EAT PREY LOVE by Kerrelyn Sparks

*

Colleen, Mina B., and Holly w

wins ETERNAL RIDER by Larissa Ione

*

Helen L.

wins TEXAS BLUE by Jodi Thomas

*

Susan R

wins TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY by Katherine Garbera

Congratulations to all the winners! You have 48 hours to contact me at lillie80 at gmail dot com to claim your prize.

Read Full Post »

Reunited…With Child by Katherine Garbera

It had been more than two years since Cam Stern’s memorable affair with Becca Tuntenstall. And upon seeing her again, the club owner realized the heat still burned between them. He had to pursue her. This time, he would get to know her better…perhaps even take things beyond the bedroom.

But Becca had been keeping a secret— they had a son. Suddenly Cam’s plan was no longer clear. He wanted to be part of his child’s life. But was he prepared to forge a relationship with the woman who had deceived him?

 

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

One thing that I didn’t realize before I became a mom was how much having a child would change my life. And that was the inspiration for REUNITED…WITH CHILD. Becca gets pregnant after a week long, red-hot affair with Cam Stern. When the week is over so is there relationship and its only after she’s walked away that she realizes she’s going to have his child.

For Becca the decision to keep her baby changes every aspect of her life. Her boss is one of Cam’s best-friends so Becca makes the decision to leave her job and start her own company. She is forced to go from being a career-minded woman to a mom. Something she doesn’t regret, but when Cam comes back into her life she wonders if hiding her pregnancy from him was a wise move.

I pride myself on being honest so I like to think I’d never get into a situation like this, but I realize there are times when I haven’t said something to someone and then later on it becomes a sort of lie. I don’t like that feeling but sometimes its almost too late to say something, you know?

Has this ever happened to you? Its not that you wanted to lie but that you got backed into by not saying something?

I’m giving away an autographed copy of TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY to a randomly selected blog participant today.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Many thanks to Katherine for joining us today!

To find out more about Katherine and her backlist, please visit www.katherinegarbera.com.  And for a chance to win TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY, leave a comment answering the above question. Good luck! 😀

 

 

Read Full Post »