Jacquie Biggar – Guest blog and Giveaway

ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO LIVE HER LIFE
Sara Sheridan found the courage to escape from under her husband’s oppressive thumb, so she sure wasn’t interested in getting mixed up with another alpha attitude laden male. Especially with her ex hot on her trail.

ALL HE WANTED WAS PEACE AND QUIET
Nick Kelley needed escape from the memories that haunted him. He wanted to just be left alone. So what was it about his reticent neighbor and her child that tempted him to give it up?

THEN LOVE GOT IN THE WAY
Nick and Sara’s growing attraction for each other leads them down a dangerous path as her ex-husband closes in on the new life she’s made for her daughter and herself and threatens to blow it all apart.

 

~~~*~~~*~~~

 

As the cooler temperatures come upon us with the onset of autumn, our souls search for warmth and serenity. Maybe with a crackling fire, warm blanket, and a good book. Or perhaps a nice bubble bath with scented candles, soft music, and a glass of wine.

Still others spend the day in the kitchen baking up delicious treats for their loved ones to enjoy. In my book, Tidal Falls, Grace Martin loves baking for her customers at Grits and Grace only second to her love of matchmaking. And when her young friend, Sara Reed, introduces Grace to the handyman hired to fix Sara’s house, her mind fills with ways to bring these two together.

Sara, on the run from an abusive ex-husband, wants nothing to do with matters of the heart. She’s already painfully learned how fickle that organ can be. But she can’t deny her attraction to the handsome Nick Kelley either.

 

Excerpt from Tidal Falls by Jacquie Biggar:

 

Pulling up to the curb in front of Grits and Grace, Sara turned off a grumbling Mirabelle, all the while arguing with herself over saying yes to a date with Ty. She wasn’t ready to jump back into the dating world. It’d taken her months after Tom to get to the point where she could even converse normally with a man.

She was perfectly satisfied with the status quo, thank you very much. Well okay, maybe not exactly…satisfied, per se. But she could certainly make do without men. Walter, her battery-operated boyfriend worked if she found herself desperate. The problem was Sara hadn’t realized until The Kiss, how much she’d missed some of the intimacies to be found between a man and a woman. Maybe it’d do her good to go out and test the dating pool. Have some fun, before her ovaries shriveled up like year old prunes.

Ignoring Miss Doom and Gloom going on inside her head, she pushed open the door of the diner, smiling as bells above sang out a tinkling welcome. Stopping for a moment, she was hit with a sensory overload of frying bacon, coffee, the clang of the till and chatter of happy patrons. Popular with the locals, it was much like stepping into a past era. A beautifully preserved Jukebox stood sentinel in a corner of the room, a slightly scratchy rendition of Teddy Bear emitting from its large speakers. Red leather seats, Formica tabletops and black and white checkerboard flooring were all straight out of a fifties sit-com. Looking for Nick, she found him at one of the window booths. He reminded her of bad boy, James Dean as he sat there with an arm over the back of the booth, flirting with Grace Martin, the diner’s owner.

One of her favorite people, Grace was every bit as tall as she was round. She epitomized the old adage, Never Trust a Skinny Cook. Blessed with a face that never seemed to age, she was one of those people you meet once and feel like you’ve known forever. Her diner was the perfect place to sit, have a thick slice of homemade apple pie topped with a generous scoop of slowly melting vanilla ice cream, and catch up on all the juicy gossip which made small town living so unique.

As she slid into her seat across the table from him, Nick cast those gorgeous lake blue eyes in her direction, and the sparkle lighting their depths reeled her in effortlessly—the man was lethal.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my, Sara Sunshine. Where you been hiding, girl? Old Gracie hasn’t seen you in far too long. And where is little, Jessica Bean?” Grace’s smoky voice drifted over her like a warm blanket.

Dragging her gaze away from Nick, Sara smiled at her friend. “Hi, Grace, and you’re right, it has been too long. Jessica is over at Tess’s house, probably baking up a storm.” They both grinned, well aware of Tess’s infamous messes whenever she got it in her head to bake. No dish was safe. “I wanted to drop in and see Annie for the paint I’d ordered, and thought I’d better stop for some of the delicious food you always spoil me with.”

“Well darlin’, I’ll get right on that, but first, who’s this young stud muffin? He’s been busy trying to sweet talk me into running away with him,” she smirked, her cheeks rushing up to meet her eyes. “It’s about time sugar-pie. I was beginning to think you needed me to find you a nice young man, but looking at him, you did a fine job all by your little lonesome.” Grace grinned at Nick, and Nick grinned back, looking already half in love, and he hadn’t even tasted the food yet.

“Oh no, it’s nothing like that.” Her cheeks warm, she hurried to clarify, “Nick’s my neighbor. He’s been doing some repairs on my house for Tess.” She caught a look that flickered across his face. How did he expect her to introduce him? She squirmed in her seat as his gaze dissected her for a long moment, his eyes now deep, reflective pools.

Then his mouth quirked, “Sweetheart, you’re going to give Grace here the wrong idea. You know I’m at your house more than I’m at my own.” Stretching across the table, he lifted up one of Sara’s hands and ran his thumb in a slow caress over the tops of her knuckles, causing goose bumps to erupt and her nipples to tighten.

Oh, man.

Pulling her over-sensitized hand out of his, she crossed her arms over her chest and chastised, “Nick, quit goofing off and let’s order. I’m starving.”

His low, “Me too, honey, me too,” sent quivers of lust shooting through her belly. She had a feeling he wasn’t talking about food anymore.

Grace gave them both a “get a room” look, but thankfully refrained from commenting on it. “Okay chickies, specials today are Broccoli and Cheese stuffed Tilapia, My Grace of God Meatloaf, or a Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese. And for dessert, we have To Die for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie or Momma’s Recipe Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a warm caramel sauce drizzled over the top.”

“Well, I can’t turn down meatloaf, and the bread pudding sounds perfect. What do you think, Sara?” Nick asked, skimming a knowing look at her arms.

“I think I’ll stick with a nice salad, maybe with some grilled chicken on top. I need room for your strawberry pie, Grace; you know I can’t leave without having some of that.” She laughed.

“No wonder you’re so skinny, child. You need food if you’re going to put some meat on those bones.” Shaking her head, Grace waddled into her kitchen, no doubt intent on performing gourmet miracles.

 

Tidal Falls is available now on Amazon.com

 

Jacquie would love to connect via her website, Jacquie Biggar

 

Facebook or Twitter

 

GIVEAWAY

For the chance to win a digital copy of Tidal Falls just leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn on Sunday. Good luck!

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Cate Beauman — Guest Post & Giveaway

Cate Beauman is back with the seventh installment in her bestselling romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Saving Sophie will be on sale September 4th through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes!

Saving Sophie On Sale September 4th!

When the only choice is to run…

Jewelry designer Sophie Burke has fled Maine for the anonymity of the big city. She’s starting over with a job she tolerates and a grungy motel room she calls home on the wrong side of town, but anything is better than the nightmare she left behind.

Stone McCabe is Ethan Cooke Security’s brooding bad boy more interested in keeping to himself than anything else—until the gorgeous blond with haunted violet eyes catches his attention late one rainy night.

Stone reluctantly gives Sophie a hand only to quickly realize that the shy beauty with the soft voice and pretty smile has something to hide. Tangled up in her secrets, Stone offers Sophie a solution that has the potential to free her from her problems once and for all—or jeopardize both of their lives.

Read an excerpt from Saving Sophie:

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Jennifer Britt – Guest Blog and Giveaway

Jessica James had her dream—a career on Broadway as a successful actress—until one night when it was taken all away. Forced to move back to Lincoln Falls and live with her parents, Jessica’s only goal is to regain her career and go back to New York. She doesn’t count on a honeysuckle hating man standing in her way or the town of Lincoln Falls itself. Now everything she thought she ever wanted may not be her dream at all.

Eric Mason and his daughter have quietly lived next door to Jessica’s parents. That all changes when he meets Jessica. She is overly dramatic and the most annoying person he’s ever met. Yet, he can’t get her off his mind.

Will they find a new dream together?

 

Why Finding the Dream

For the most part, we live our lives the same way every day. We get up, go to work, go home, eat dinner, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. But what would happen if all of that was taken away from us? Our routine was gone — the one thing that defined who we are disappeared.

In Finding the Dream, Jessica James is defined  by her work on Broadway. It’s what she loves and it’s all she knows. When it’s gone, she struggles to find herself again. She must accept she’s never going to regain what she once had and move on. Jessica must reinvent herself.

We’ve all been in this situation at some point. We’ve had to find the new dream. That’s how I came up with the title for this book. Throughout the story, Jessica is trying to find her new dream.

About Jennifer Britt

After graduating from law school, Jennifer Britt worked for a leading tax publication as a legal editor.  She then moved to an accounting firm as an associate director and legal editor.   While her day job keeps her busy, Jennifer has managed to find time to write and, most nights, she can be found in front of her laptop writing her next contemporary romance novel.

She lives in Virginia with her husband and family.

Connect With Jennifer:

Website: http://jennifer-britt.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenBritt

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7159962.Jennifer_Britt

Pinterest: Jennifer Britt (jenbrit1)

Buy Links for Finding the Dream:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1SX6CI

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-the-dream-jennifer-britt/1119887447?ean=2940046046267&itm=1&usri=jennifer+britt

E-Book Giveaway

For the chance to win an e-book of Finding the Dream by Jennifer Britt, just leave a comment below.

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His Marriage Bargain by Sidney Bristol – Excerpt

So Inked, Book 3

A woman who loves too much…

When Autumn’s best friend proposes a pretend marriage, the chance to make all the kisses she’s imagined real is too much for her to pass up. She seduces him with her body and enjoys pushing his boundaries and fulfilling their sexual fantasies—but her heart isn’t supposed to be part of the bargain.

A man about to take his last breath…

Sammi has just weeks left to live out his dying wish—the white picket fence, the house and the wife. If Autumn is the last woman he gets to taste he’ll die a lucky man. Her body, her heart—everything about her calls to him. But love isn’t supposed to be in the plans.

In the crucible of passion, these two lovers will find out what they’re really made from, and just how long I do lasts.

Purchase from: Ellora’s Cave | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks

It can never be said that Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and belly dancing.

Website | Twitter | Facebook Page | Facebook Profile

Pinterest | YouTube | Facebook Reader Lounge

Excerpt:

Autumn pinched her forearm. The sharp bite of pain told her everything she needed to know.

This is not a dream.

“Autumn?” Her best friend, Samuel “Sammi” Zimmerman lowered to one knee, placing his hand on her bare thigh. Fantasies, dreams of those same hands doing other things to her body were not far off.

“Oh—my—god.” Autumn gaped at him. This couldn’t be happening.

Sammi’s gaze bored into her with an intensity she’d only ever imagined him turning on her. Usually he was talking business in rapid-fire language she didn’t hope to understand. He’d taken a one-eighty and now it was as if she’d stepped onto the pedestal of importance in his life.

“It’s just a question,” he said.

Autumn pushed his hand off her leg. “It’s a pretty serious question, if you ask me.”

She needed to think. Actually use her brain. Reacting on emotions and engaging situations based on her feelings was her norm. This—this situation required thought.

Autumn stood and strode across the hardwood floors of Sammi’s condo. Her heels clicked with an authoritative sound. Something about a great pair of stilettos always made Autumn feel a little more in charge, but that was typically because of the way it made her legs and ass appear to the opposite sex. She’d never been a saint. As a teen she’d been aware her body made men want to promise and do things for her. And she had no regrets she’d used it to her advantage. Or at least she’d thought so.

Not thinking about that now…

She wrestled her thoughts into the present but it was difficult. Sammi was a silent presence at her back. Autumn could smell his cologne. He may be close enough to touch but she didn’t dare look at him. Looking at him short-circuited her brain. He was just too damn handsome. And knew it. He breathed confidence in all things, and right now she had none.

I’m really not dreaming?

“Can you run this by me one more time?” she asked.

Maybe if she wasn’t looking at him, if his charm wasn’t amped up to eleven and aimed at her, she could comprehend what he was asking of her.

Sammi stepped next to her and leaned against the glass window, hands in the pockets of his gray slacks. He had just enough stubble and a natural tan to appear the high-powered playboy he was. She’d pegged him as a “love ’em and leave ’em” kind of man the moment he stepped into the So Inked tattoo shop.

And she’d been right.

The first time she’d seen Sammi, he’d come to tell the owners, Mary and Kellie, that his father had passed away. Since the family owned the building their shop was in, they would be dealing directly with him pertaining to their lease.

Since then, Autumn had sat on the sidelines and watched enough women go in and out of his bed to know the score and that she didn’t want to play. Not with a man so emotionally unavailable.

It was easy to relegate Sammi to the friend zone, but she’d never stopped wanting him.

Autumn broke first, glancing at him.

He peeked sideways at her, flashing a smile full of sensuality. Her lady parts quivered but she held herself back.

Think. Don’t feel.

“I was kind of hoping you’d agree,” he said.

Autumn turned to face him. What? Did he think she’d blindly go along with whatever he said? She had the sudden urge to scratch one of his eyes out. “Grabbing a burger, seeing a movie, going to Cancun, those are all things I don’t have to think about before saying yes. This, this is different!”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll explain,” he said quickly, yet he lapsed into silence, staring out the windows looking onto the lake.

The momentary excitement fizzled, leaving her cold inside. There were perks to being friends with Sammi. He was wealthy, liked to party in style, and so long as a girl was beautiful or sexy or adventurous or entertaining, he’d extend an invitation and pick up the bill. Once you scratched the surface he was a good guy, deeply attached to his family, hardworking to a fault and generous. But none of that gave him license to use her.

Of all Autumn’s sins, trading her body for what she wanted had never been one of them. She crossed her arms, suddenly wishing for more clothing, but the sweltering Texas heat made anything beyond abbreviated hemlines and skimpy tops uncomfortable.

Sammi’s voice was deep, rich like melted chocolate when he spoke. His gaze dropped to the floor, as if he were seeing the past in his mind’s eye. “When I was a kid I got sick. Doctors said one thing was wrong with me, others diagnosed me with something else. No one could figure it out. I went from being on the football starting line to a wheelchair—and no one could tell my family why.”

Autumn’s heart leapt into her throat. She’d had to watch firsthand a friend losing all mobility. Carly, their shop manager, had been paralyzed in an accident a year before. It still haunted them all, and watching Carly struggle was the worst of it.

Sammi’s gaze flicked to her face, his demeanor serious. “I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. It’s a disorder where the immune system gets confused and attacks part of the nervous system. I spent my middle school and most of my high school years being treated. I was in a wheelchair for about two years. They didn’t think I would live to be an adult.”

“Oh Sammi— I— Don’t know what to say.” She blinked back the moisture in her eyes.

Sammi caught her hand, pressing her knuckles to his lips. His touch was sweet, but the glance he cast her way was all playboy. “Say yes?”

“I don’t understand how all of this is connected.” Autumn pulled her hand from his grasp.

Use what’s upstairs, girl.

“You drive a hard bargain.” He sighed dramatically and turned to give her his full attention, all business. “The truth? In Jewish culture it’s emphasized that men will get married and provide an heir. I honestly never thought I’d live this long, and maybe it’s cheesy, but whatever. I always wanted to get married, have the white picket fence. All of it.”

Autumn rocked forward on her toes, hanging on his words. There was a catch coming, she could sense it.

“I’m dying, Autumn. I have a limited amount of time left. Very few people get Guillain-Barré twice in their life and it looks like I’m that unlucky bastard. It’s too late to do marriage the way my mother would want, but that’s not what I want anyway. I want to enjoy the time I have left. Maybe knock some things off my bucket list. One of those is getting married. Now I know we’re only friends and this is crazy, but I’m prepared to offer compensation. I’ll take care of my medical expenses and hospice care. I just want to spend the good times I have left with someone I like. Someone who can have fun. I’m telling you, my lawyer and my doctor, no one else.”

“But why me?” she blurted. Why not his ex-girlfriend? Or the long line of girls who wanted a chance to be with him?

Sammi blinked at her as if he didn’t understand the question. “Why not you? You’re my best friend. I have the best time with you. Who else would I want to spend the rest of my life with?”

Autumn’s breath caught in her throat. They were perhaps the most beautiful words anyone had ever spoken to her, and for the most heartbreaking reason.

He wanted a friend, not a lover.

Sammi dropped to his knee again.

Oh god…

He dug in his pocket for a moment before producing a ring with a stone big enough to knock a linebacker on his ass.

This is happening…

“What do you say? Will you marry me?”

What do I say?

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The Captive by Grace Burrowes – Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway

 

“What are your long-term plans, my lady? I ask both as Lucy’s papa and as the husband of your late cousin.”

 

“My plans?” Gilly’s bread and butter turned to sawdust in her mouth when she saw the considering light in His Grace’s eyes.

 

He’d ambushed her, the wretch, out here in the sunshine and beauty of a perfect summer’s day.

 

Next Mercia would explain, politely, that he needed privacy with his daughter, and an extraneous cousin-in-law on the premises must needs be a temporary imposition.

 

Well, damn him. Damn him and his elegant, scarred hands and his beautiful, soft voice and his lovely eyes and his kindness toward the child. Damn him for all of it.

 

And especially for kissing her. Those gentle, nearly chaste kisses had been so…so… Gilly had lost sleep trying to describe Mercia’s kisses. One word kept careening into her awareness, no matter how stoutly she batted it away. Mercia’s kisses had been cherishing, as if Gilly were the reason he lived, the reason he’d bested demons and nightmares to return to her side.

 

Which was balderdash. He’d meandered home from Carlton House through the park, and she was pathetic to make so much of a small late-night lapse between two tired adults.

 

He regarded her now with an expression so far from cherishing that Gilly’s food sat uneasily in her belly.

 

“We’ve only just arrived at Severn, Your Grace. Must we discuss plans and arrangements now?”

 

“We must.” He picked up one of the sections of orange and held it out to her. “Please.”

 

Please eat, or please reveal her hopes and fears, as manifest in the next year’s residential particulars? His blue eyes held an odd light, and Gilly abruptly wished she had the protection of her black silk shawl, for all the afternoon was pleasant. She took the orange section from him and popped it into her mouth.

 

Across from her, the duke screwed up his thin lipped, elegant mouth in a grimace of impatience.

 

“For the near term, you will stay here, my lady. We are agreed on that for the child’s sake. I’d like you to consider making your home with us permanently, though. You are in mourning, and I certainly intend to live quietly. You know this household, and I have no hostess, no lady to see to the maids and the housekeeper.”

 

He had no one to see to him, as far as Gilly could tell, which apparently mattered to him not at all.

 

***

THE CAPTIVE

Author: Grace Burrowes

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Genre: Historical Romance

 

 

He’ll never be free…

 

Captured and tortured by the French, Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, survives by vowing to take revenge on his tormentors. Before the duke can pursue his version of justice, Gillian, Countess of Greendale, reminds him that his small daughter has suffered much in his absence, and needs her papa desperately.

 

Until he surrenders his heart…
Gilly endured her difficult marriage by avoiding confrontation and keeping peace at any cost. Christian’s devotion to his daughter and his kindness toward Gilly give her hope that she could enjoy a future with him, for surely he of all men shares her loathing for violence in any form. Little does Gilly know, the battle for Christian’s heart is only beginning.

 

Author Biography
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes’ bestsellers include The Heir, The Soldier, Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal, Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish and Lady Eve’s Indiscretion. Her Regency romances have received extensive praise, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Grace is branching out into short stories and Scotland-set Victorian romance with Sourcebooks. She is a practicing family law attorney and lives in rural Maryland.

 

Social Media Links

 

Website: http://graceburrowes.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grace-Burrowes/115039058572197

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GraceBurrowes

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4152482.Grace_Burrowes
 

GIVEAWAY

Sourcebooks is giving away a tote filled with Grace Burrowes’ backlist. To enter click HERE and follow the rafflecopter instructions.

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When Day Breaks by Maya Banks – Giveaway!

It’s finally release day for When Day Breaks by Maya Banks! And in celebration of all things Swanny, we’re having a giveaway 😀

Eden is said to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. Her face has graced countless magazines and her body has sold millions of dollars of clothing. But her fame and beauty has earned her more than she ever imagined. Evil is stalking her, determined to extinguish the ethereal beauty forever.

Swanson or “Swanny” as his teammates call him is always up for the next mission. He came back from Afghanistan wounded and scarred. Hardly the kind of man who even belongs in the same room with Eden. And yet there’s something about the quiet beauty that stirs his blood and makes him dream of the impossible. Because Beauty loving the beast only happens in fairy tales and KGI doesn’t deal in fairy tales. Ever.

 

 

GIVEAWAY

We’ll be gifting five winners a kindle copy of When Day Breaks from Amazon. Winners will be announced on Sunday so please remember to check back!

* Amazon’s geo restrictions do apply
* Giveaway is sponsored by Novel Thoughts

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Christi Barth – Guest Blog and Giveaway

Ella Mayhew’s always appreciated the beautiful view of Seneca Lake from the spa window of her family’s hotel. But the view improves dramatically when a hot stranger runs across the grounds—shirtless. He’s the first man to kickstart her hormones in the three years since she lost her parents, and she doesn’t even know his name.

Graydon Locke’s on his umpteenth undercover assignment. The routine’s always the same: assess a business, recommend it for closure, then roll out before anyone discovers his decisions impact hundreds of lives. He’s always believed nothing good comes out of small towns. Why would this one be different? Then he makes two classic rookie mistakes—falling for the sweet, sexy girl who owns the very business he’s on the verge of axing. And letting the town’s residents get involved in both his life, and his relationship with Ella.

Ella’s the best thing to ever happen to Gray, but he’s lied to her from the start. If he pulls the plug on Mayhew Manor, the entire town may crumble. Ella couldn’t save her parents, but it’s up to her to save their hotel. Even if that means turning her back on true love.

 

~~~*~~~*~~~

 

The Good, Hard Fun of a Trilogy

I think writers love starting a new book as much as readers do. There’s all that initial rush of excitement over the idea, and all the possibilities and the fun of scrolling through fifteen websites full of hot guys to base your hero on (at least, that’s my process). A million decisions start to crowd your brain, the plot being the least of them. Choosing what sort of houses your characters live in, and the color/design schemes of them, and what does the bedroom look like (super important) and what do their offices look like? Where did they go to college and what year did they graduate, because there will be a single sentence hidden somewhere in 100,000 words that will mention this and your editor will notice and the timeline will be wrong. And coming up with outfits for every character (including the single paragraph walk-ons) in every scene—it’s just like costuming a movie.

But all of that happens with every book. Today I’m chatting about the difference it makes when you’re kicking off a trilogy with that new book. It boils down to two things: planning ahead and keeping track as you go. Because you’re going to write all these awesome personal tidbits into book one…and then maybe go write something else. A Christmas book. A proposal for another series. Or – shock/gasp/double eye blink – you might even take a vacation. Or the most basic reason – when you write a book of 100,000 words, you don’t actually remember all of them.

A trilogy = three main love stories. In all of my books, those revolve around a tightly-knit group of friends. In my new Shore Secrets trilogy, Piper and Ward are the main love story for book 3. Tiny spoiler alert: they dated in high school, had an epic, not-revealed-until-book-3 breakup, but are still friends ten years later, when book 1 begins. Why does that matter? Because from the very start of Up To Me (#1), Piper and Ward snipe at each other. All their friends know to sit in between them at lunch, or to let them snarl it out instead of getting involved. This rubbing each other the wrong way’s got to continue and be somewhat re-introduced in book 2, before rolling out the full story in book 3. Does it matter at all to the main love plot between Ella and Graydon of Up To Me? Heck, no. But I had to plan ahead, and start sowing the seeds, in order to give the reader more of a payoff when I finally get to Piper and Ward’s book. I do it ALL for you guys!

As for keeping track of things, here’s a snippet of an example:

Ward pushed off the couch, gingerly tested his jaw. “‘Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.’”

Surprise almost tripped him halfway to the door. Not what Gray expected from the small-town, flannel-wearing man with muscles that looked like he could bench press a dump truck. “Did you seriously start the night with a bar fight, and now you’re ending it by quoting Robert Frost?”

“I’m a man of many sides.” Ward stroked his neat beard, a cartoonish impression of an ancient philosopher contemplating the human condition. Then he burst out laughing. “My friend Casey thinks I don’t read enough. She gave me a quote-a-day calendar for Christmas. That’s today’s. No clue if I’ll remember it by next week. Impressed you recognized it, though.”

“In college, I used to memorize lines of poetry to impress women.”

“Did it work?”

“Often enough that I still remember most of them.”

That’s a total throw-away, funny thing I stuck in waaaaay at the beginning of Up To Me. And yep, I forgot about it until I did copy edits on that book. Whereby I promptly made a note to be sure to have Ward spout off at least one more funny quote in book 2, and a whole bunch of ‘em in his book. This will be super fun for me to weave in, and hopefully fun for the readers as well. So while it is definitely more work to connect all the dots throughout a trilogy, the satisfaction on all sides makes it worthwhile.

What’s your favorite part of a trilogy?

 

Excerpt

“Come do yoga with me tomorrow.”

“I’m a guy. We’re all about being hard and stiff, not soft and bendy.”

Ella blinked rapidly to clear the images of a naked, hard-muscled Gray that popped into her mind. And hardness…other places. “Don’t be so close-minded. Didn’t you end up enjoying the massage I gave you?”

“Yes.” He sounded adorably sulky at being forced to acknowledge it. Why was it that men found it so hard to admit when they were wrong? Definitely a topic of discussion for her next margarita night with the girls.

“See? You can’t dismiss something out of hand without at least trying it.”

Gray wrinkled his nose. “Do I have a choice?”

“No.” Ella brought up her other hand to cup his face. “You deserve to be looked after. It’s not much, I know, but let me help you in the only way I can.”

“I’ll do it—”

Ella bounced a little. “Terrific.”

“—on one condition. I’ve just come up with a good plan for stress release. Let’s try my way first.” Gray wove his fingers through the loose knit of her turquoise sweater. In one swift move, he pulled it off over her head and tossed it into the corner. “Come swimming with me. Right now.”

Was he serious? To stall for time while she processed the preposterous suggestion, Ella stammered, “We…we don’t have suits.”

“You said the pool’s still officially closed. No one will interrupt us.” He toyed with the strap of her matching tank. “You’ve got this thing. I’m wearing boxer briefs. We’ll be more covered up than in suits. Unless you don’t think you can control yourself around me?”

That was it in a nutshell. Not that she’d admit it to Gray. Not when he had that sharp eyebrow arched and a smug quirk to his lips. If he was trying to shock her…well, he had, no denying that. But what better way was there to embrace life fully than to embrace a dripping wet, mostly naked Gray? While she’d never work up the courage to tell him, this was the kind of activity Dr. T. would probably applaud. Or at least give her a gold star. He had asked her to email him with progress reports if anything big happened. Unable to resist, she glanced down at Gray’s crotch. Ella expected something very big, indeed, was about to happen.

“Water’s extremely therapeutic,” she said in her most serious, I’m massaging you but not judging your naked body in any way professional voice. “Swimming is a good counterpart to yoga. They use the same long muscles.”

Yup. Her matter-of-fact delivery dropped his eyebrow back to its usual straight line and wiped the smug from his lips. Ella kept the surprises rolling. She stood, unbuttoned her skirt and let it slide the floor into a big blue puddle. Then she reached out, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him sideways into the pool with her.

The simultaneous body flops slapped noise and water all around the room. Ella recovered first, treading water while waiting for Gray to get his bearings and surface. Keeping her head above water was easy. Breathing, however, was not, as she was laughing her head off at catching him off guard. Finally, with much thrashing and churning of the water, Gray popped up near the middle of the pool.

“What the hell?” he yelled, his voice bouncing off the rocks with a hollow echo. “I’m wearing clothes!”

“So take them off,” she yelled back. Geez, it was his idea. Ella had just implemented it without talking it to death first. She’d thought he’d appreciate her spontaneity.

Gray stared at her for a minute, totally unreadable. Then his head disappeared beneath the water again. In fact, he sank straight to the bottom. It worried her. But just until a heavy, sodden pair of jeans landed like a giant blue spitwad in front of her. Laughing, she tossed them over her shoulder in the general direction of their shoes. Then Gray’s shirt appeared, floating near the filter. Something she’d have to remember to retrieve before morning when maintenance would make their final sweep before reopening the pool.

She felt Gray first. His head brushed against her stomach. Using her body like a swim ladder, he climbed it with his hands until just those brilliant blue eyes broke the surface. Blinked at her once. Then he tilted his head back and arced a stream of water from his lips to the dead center of her forehead. Laughing even harder, Ella reached under his shoulders to pull him the rest of the way up.

That’s when the laughter stopped. When buoyancy slammed his oh my God so hard cock right against her. When it was the most natural thing in the world to wrap her legs tight around him to keep him nestled against all her heat and what felt like every freaking nerve ending in her body. And when she twined her arms around his neck just for the thrill of rubbing her breasts across his chest.

With two powerful kicks, Gray propelled them to the wall. He sandwiched Ella against it and hung on to the rocks to keep them both afloat. “I’m on board with your idea. As you can tell.” He ground against her in a way that absolutely proved not only that he was enthusiastic about stripping, but that there was definitely nothing between them other than two thin, skintight layers of cotton. Gray’s impressive length was no longer just an impression or wishful thinking. It was hard and long and she couldn’t wait to impale herself on him. For now, she locked her ankles together and let the water do most of the work of bobbing her up and down in a rhythmic, full-body caress.

Water glistened at the tips of his lashes. Ella kissed it away, then just kept heading south. Over his early-evening stubble. Down past the Adam’s apple that jerked reflexively. She’d always thought them sexy. So uniquely masculine.

A nibble in the hollow of his collarbone. Down till her lips were just underwater, closed around his nipple. Ella flicked it against her teeth. Gray…growled? Whatever the noise was, it came from deep inside him and turned her core body temperature up by about twenty percent.

 

Purchase at * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Carina Press * iBooks

Website | Blog | Pinterest | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page |Facebook

 

Bio: Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage.  A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning.  Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance.  Christi is President of the Maryland Romance Writers and lives in Maryland with her husband.

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For the chance to win a digital copy of Up to Me by Christi Barth just leave  a comment below. Good luck!

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Vivian Arend – Guest Blog and Giveaway!

When the past hurts, it bites.

Meet Evan Stone. Laid-back, in-control Alpha of the Takhini Wolves. Life’s not perfect, but he’s got a good handle on his world. At least, he did—until the night he ends up in jail, soaking wet and wondering what the hell just happened.

The “what” is Amy Ryba, a vengeful female who’s decided it’s long past time to make Evan pay for his sins. Amy has spent years tracking him down, and the last nine months working in secret to destroy him. She’s ready for anything—except discovering the shifter she hates is her mate.

Suddenly, Evan’s not so very in control, of himself or his pack. And unless Amy can learn to forgive and forget, she’ll have to do the unthinkable: reject her mate.

With two packs watching, one thing is certain. Their personal issues won’t stay personal for long. If Amy and Evan can’t find a way to work together, there won’t a happily-ever-after for them…or any of the wolves of Whitehorse.

Warning: Contains angsty wolves. Lots of angsty wolves causing explosions of all sorts, playing bad pranks, hacking computers, and having angry sex against a wall or two. Not all at the same time, though, because that would be silly.

 

~~**~~

 

It’s been a long time coming, this happily ever after.

Back when I first wrote Wolf Signs, the story sprouted from a single idea, growing into the adventures of a couple of wolf shifters and their search to be happy together. The next story in the Granite Lake Wolves series followed logically because there was a side character in book one who had stolen my heart, and I needed to make him happy as well.

One after another the people who had populated the pages came to life for me as an author, but what I had started with the Granite Lake Wolves was a linked series of connected people. Each book stands on its own, and there’s not a lot of overlap other than the family and friends that stop in at different moments.

At the same time I started my writing journey I met a wonderful couple of writers who were creating worlds that pulled me in completely, mind and soul. Bree and Donna together write as Moira Rogers, and their Red Rock Pass novellas began about six months before my series did.

But they also had the most amazing other world. Southern Arcana — a place populated with more than just shifters. A place where even as one couple found happiness with each other, the politics and turmoil of the world continued around them.

I had read fantasy, and science fiction for years before I found romance, and long before I became an author. Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, David Eddings amazing Belgariad. There were many more that I had enjoyed, but for some reason I think it was the deliberate inclusion of a romance story that set Southern Arcana apart from me.

Their work inspired me to try it myself. I would travel to a new section of my world where not only would the hero and heroine find each other, they would deal with outside circumstances that carried from book to book until coming to a finite conclusion.

Four books. An over arcing story that required I drop tiny hints into each book. For a person who does not plan out every detail of every story, it was a frightening and yet invigorating idea. Could I do it? Or maybe the question was, could I do it in a way that I wouldn’t go crazy, or lose track of what I was trying to accomplish.

In book one, Black Gold, we met the major players, and another thing occurred that I hadn’t intended but that turned out to be perfect for these stories. Not only did I write the point of view of the hero and heroine, but Evan Stone, Alpha of the Takhini pack, made himself known. Since the first book we’ve gotten glimpses into his mind. What he’s been trying to accomplish. What’s in his heart…

Now it’s his turn, and all the secrets that have been hinted at are about to come into the light. There are no more bear issues, just Evan and his missing mate…

And everything else that’s been building to this point.

As the conclusion of the Takhini Wolves comes about, I find myself looking back to see if I accomplished what I had hoped for. It’s not as broad a world as Southern Arcana, or as long running as other paranormal series, but I’m happy. In the end I feel as if Evan has taken a long journey, and he’s finally with the exactly right woman who challenges him to be everything he needs to be. For the pack, for her…

For himself.

 

I can’t leave completely. I’ve started a new series to gather the continuing stories for other characters. The Takhini Shifter Novellas will be a place for you to come together with them and catch up, and hopefully continue to fall in love.

 

But first, take a ride with Evan and Amy. Hold on tight—it’ll be worth it.

~~**~~

 

Buy links:

Samhain | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

 

Giveaway:

Click HERE to enter the rafflecopter giveaway.

 

About the Author:

Vivian Arend in one word: Adventurous. In a sentence: Willing to try just about anything once. That wide-eyed attitude has taken her around North America, through parts of Europe, and into Central and South America, often with no running water.

 

Her optimistic outlook also meant that when challenged to write a book, she gave it a shot, and discovered creating worlds to play in was nearly as addictive as traveling the real one.  Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both contemporary and paranormal stories, Vivian continues to explore, write and otherwise keep herself well entertained.

 

Website: www.vivianarend.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/vivianarend

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vivianarend

Newsletter: www.bit.ly/1f0Bcgk

 

 

 

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Cover Goodness: Light My Fire by G.A. Aiken

New G.A. Aiken book coming out December 2, 2014!

The trouble with humans is that they’re far too sensitive. You forget you put a woman in the local jail for a few months—and she takes it so personally! And yet she is the one trying to assassinate my queen. And now I’m trapped with Elina Shestakova of the Black Bear Riders of the Midnight…gods! That endless name!

But what am I to do? I am Celyn the Charming with direct orders from my queen to protect this unforgiving female.

Even more shocking, this unforgiving female is completely unimpressed by me. How is that even possible? But I know what I want and, for the moment, I want her. But I’m sure that she, like all females, will learn to adore me. How could she not when I am just so damn charming?

You can also find an excerpt here.

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Review – Copper King by Vivian Arend

Copper King

Takhini Shifters 1

Vivian Arend

 

Timeline: February prior to the start of Black Gold: Takhini Wolves 1, this stand alone novella introduces a couple later featured in the Rita-nominated SILVER MINE: Takhini Wolves 3

 

I’m such a fan of Vivian Arends shifters–her Takhini Wolves are the best!

 

But one of my very favorite stories by her is Tangled Tinsel, a Christmas short (http://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Tinsel-Vivian-Arend-ebook/dp/B004CJ813I/ref=sr_1_46?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398823337&sr=1-46&keywords=vivian+arend ) that is full of fun & just a great little read!

 

I tell you that because this story, Copper King, is very much in the same spirit. Casino owner Grizzly shifter Jim Halcyon is all about having a good time with life—and women are pretty much the top of that pleasure list. Jim’s a love and leave them kind of guy—but leave them smiling!

 

Ready to embark on a new adventure with his closest friend—a crazy, fun adventure to win the coin Lady Luck—Jim’s bestie decides he needs a woman to help him cheer up. Only the woman he’s targeted for Jim isn’t the one Jim zeros in on—she’s the stunning woman across the room who looks like she’s trying to shrink into her clothes to hide. Yeah, right as she HITS THE JACKPOT!!

 

Lillie has come to Las Vegas for one last fling—she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself, but she wants to have a blast…and maybe a fling! And when she sees the sexy Jim closing in on her she’s sunk. He’s a hunk of grizzly she just can’t pass up!

 

Jim and Lillie find themselves having such a great time, and enjoying each other so much…yet they both see the deadline of their fling looming. Jim on his Lady Luck adventure, and Lillie to meet obligations she can’t escape…or can she?

 

LOVED it! Such a fun read. Short but full of sexiness, and shifter possessiveness & just yummy goodness!! Rich, shifter, possessive, hot…Yup, Vivian Arend hits every high point in this novella!!

 

I want MORE!! NOW!!

For buy links and an excerpt, click here.

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