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!

 

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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

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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/

 

 

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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

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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.

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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

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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!

 

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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

 

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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.

 

 

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

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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/

 

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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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What a Duke Dares by Anna Campbell – Excerpt and Giveaway

What woman in her right mind would say no to marrying the dashing Duke of Sedgemoor? Miss Penelope Thorne, that’s who. She’s known Camden Rothermere since they were children-and she also knows she’d bring nothing but scandal to his name.Cam can hardly believe Penelope turned down his proposal. But if she wants to run off to the Continent and set the rumor mill ablaze, he can’t stop her. Then her brother’s dying request sends him to bring home the one woman he thought he’d finally gotten over.

The only way they’ll both get back to London without their reputations in tatters is to pretend they’re married during the journey. That means kissing like they mean it and even sharing a bed-until it becomes hard to tell where the game ends and true desire begins . . .

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EXCERPT

“How can you flirt when we’re about to find a watery grave?”

 

“How can I not?” His voice roughened into urgency. “If the ship goes down, I’ll be damned if I die without kissing you.”

 

She started without moving away. “This is a mistake.”

 

He laughed, wondering how his demise became cause for amusement. Perhaps Pen’s courage bolstered his. Most people would cower at the raging seas, but valiant Penelope Thorne met the storm and the man who wanted her with her head high and a smile on her lips. At that moment, if he’d been capable of love, he might imagine that he loved her. “The thought of kissing you has tortured me.”

 

Her hands linked around his neck. To steady herself or because she wanted to touch him? He hardly cared as long as she stayed near. He’d never seen her like this. Like she yearned for his touch the way he yearned for hers. Desire pounded harder than the waves outside. Thunder cracked close.

“Oh, hell, Pen,” he groaned, firming his grip on her. He was incapable of gentleness. The storm outside was a pale echo of the storm in his blood.

 

On another guttural groan, his mouth crashed down . . .

 

About Anna Campbell

Always a voracious reader, ANNA CAMPBELL decided when she was a child that she wanted to be a writer. Once she discovered the wonderful world of romance novels, she knew exactly what she wanted to write. Anna has won numerous awards for her Avon historical romances including Romantic TimesReviewers Choice, the Booksellers Best, the Golden Quill, the Heart of Excellence, the Aspen Gold and the Australian Romance Readers Association’s most popular historical romance (twice). Her books have twice been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Award and twice for Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year.

When she’s not writing passionate, intense stories featuring gorgeous Regency heroes and the women who are their destiny, Anna loves to travel, especially in the United Kingdom, and listen to all kinds of music. She lives near the sea on the east coast of Australia, where she’s losing her battle with an overgrown subtropical garden.

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To enter Anna Campbell’s blog tour giveaway click the above banner. Good luck!

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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.

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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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Every goddess needs a little love – By Cate Masters

We’re all meant to root for heroines in books. The female who brandishes her wits like a sword to cut down her foes, whose beauty is more than skin deep, and who can seduce the hero while saving herself, thank you very much.

 

But what about the other females in the book? Even secondary characters, even those with roots in mythology, can have very real feelings. For instance, in Goddess Awakened, another goddess guards the gates of Tartarus, which is located just outside Hades proper. She’s one of the three Harpies, also called the Erinye. Her name is Tisiphone. Terrible to look upon, and even more terrible to smell, lol,

 

Tisiphone must make sure no one escapes the outer boundaries of Hell. It’s a lonely and tedious job patrolling the gate of Hell, but someone has to do it. Still, a girl has feelings. She likes to be invited out once in awhile, or at least keep up with the gossip from the outside world. Or world above, as the case may be. So when the hero, Eric, is kidnapped and trapped in Tartarus, and runs into Tisiphone at the gate, he unwittingly hurts her feelings by filling her in on the latest news: there’s a war between demons and fae in his hometown. As usual, no one thought to tell Tisiphone.

 

Eric, being a veterinarian, recognizes Tisiphone has a skin problem. Nice guy that he is, he offers to provide her with some creams and ointments. Did I mention Tisiphone has the head of a dog? Yep. A mangy one!

 

So if she happens to let the gate slip so Eric can slip through, well… who can blame her? Every goddess needs a little love.

 

The research for this novel led me deeper and deeper into mythology. I loved learning about the Goddess Iris – messenger to the gods, and also Goddess of the Rainbow, the bridge between the worlds.

 

Goddess, Awakened, is the first book in The Goddess Connection series, which says: Every woman should embrace her inner goddess. What’s your connection?

 

I have several more novels in this series in mind to follow. In each, the heroine will be somehow connected to a goddess. Her lifelong quirks will become strengths once she finds her true place in the world, and accepts herself for who she really is.

 

Something we should all do! Every woman should be treated like a goddess, don’t you think? 😉

 

Blurb

With a little help from a goddess, battling evil is a piece of cake for Jocelyn Gibson.

A descendant of the goddess Iris, Jocelyn Gibson may have forgotten about the realm of magic, but it hasn’t forgotten her. When Eric Hendricks is targeted by a demon, Joss must step in to battle the evil and save the town’s awkward, but endearing, vet…who also happens to be the man she loves.

Joss’s new inn, a culinary career specializing in cooking with lavender and a new love all make for a fine recipe of disaster. She needs to embrace her inner goddess and harness the powers she never knew she had before it’s too late.

 

Goddess, Awakened

The Goddess Connection Book 1

Fantasy/paranormal romance novel

About 89,700 words

Amazon | Barnes & Noble |All Romance eBooks| Kensington

 

About the Author

Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

 

 

Contact Details

Website: http://catemasters.blogspot.com

Email: cate.masters@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cate-Masters/89969413736?ref=ts

Twitter: @CateMasters

 

 

Mini excerpt for GODDESS, AWAKENED:

In starting her life over, Joss had expected some resistance, even some trouble, but not this. The bedroom floor boards trembled beneath her golden-slippered feet. Tendrils of an unseen power curled upward from deep within the ground, tingling through her toes. She paused to steady herself, then continued to put the finishing touches on her costume. The tremors grew into rumbles and their hum seeped beneath her skin. When their tiny wisps twined through her mind, she clenched her hands. Enough. Go away.

Thick as starlight on a clear summer’s eve, sweet as the lavender blossoms she had yet to plant, energy whooshed up through the cracks of the worn wood and out into the October night.

She gripped the bureau until it passed, the vibrations rolling over her in lessening waves. Bubbly, effervescent waves. “Third time tonight, Taz.” Each departure took longer, and more of the essence remained.

When the dog whined, she stroked his fur. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you.”

Even if tonight the waves were palpable enough to make her hairs stand on end. Oh, no, please.

Nothing could ruin tonight. More than a party, this event would determine her future. And after three years of grief, she’d never allow anything to trap her in its clutches again.

 

Giveaway!

Do you love to read paranormals? Do you have a favorite goddess? Leave your reply on this post for a chance to win an ebook from my backlist (your choice – find all the titles at http://catemasters.blogspot.com). Be sure to include your email address in the comment! Good luck!

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The Return of the Rebel by Jennifer Faye: Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway!

 The guy from the wrong side of the tracks… 

Being promoted should be a dream come true, only it means working closely with Cleo’s childhood crush, Jax Monroe. Jax may no longer be the rebel she remembers, but he still gets her heart racing like no other.

Jax cares too much about Cleo to let her get too close—but keeping his distance is proving impossible! As Jax reveals the extent of what he’s been through, will Cleo show him that some things are too precious to put off until tomorrow?

 

 

 

 

 

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:

The fact that Cleo felt comfortable enough to open up to him warmed a spot in Jax’s chest. But he couldn’t let himself read too much into it. She was probably lonely being so far from her family. And it wouldn’t do either of them any good if he tried to fill that empty spot. It’d only make it that much harder to walk away.

“You know, I can be on my own today. I don’t want to take up all of your time. I’m sure by now you have other guests to look after.”

“Actually you’re my one and only guest. Mr. Burns has me on a very short leash.” Cleo’s cherry-red lips lifted and her eyes sparkled. “So name your pleasure and I’ll make sure it’s provided.”

The sweet lilt of her voice and the sight of her tempting lips sent his mind spiraling back in time. He clearly remembered the one and only kiss they’d shared. He hadn’t even seen it coming and it was over before he could react. The strange thing was that after all of these years, he had never forgotten that innocent moment. He’d been kissed countless times since then and by experienced women who knew how to turn a kiss into an adventure. So why had the memory of those other kisses faded while hers stood the test of time?

Every detail of that moment stood out in his mind. He recalled how the morning sun peeked over Cleo’s shoulder. The golden rays made her hair glisten, giving it the illusion of a halo. Her cheeks were rosy with color and her eyes sparkled like fresh-cut emeralds.

He’d been so mesmerized by the stunning image that he hadn’t expected her to lift up on her tiptoes. Her gaze met and held his as she leaned forward. Her puckered lips pressed to his mouth. In the next heartbeat, she pulled away. And then, as if horrified, her eyes grew round. She’d pressed a hand to her mouth and run off.

 

 

Purchase At

Amazon   |   Amazon – UK   |  Barnes & Noble   |  Harlequin  |  Kobo  |  iTunes

 

BOOK DETAILS:

• Publisher: Harlequin Romance / Mills & Boon Cherish
• First Published: July 1, 2014
• Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Hardcover, e-Book, Large Print
• ISBN-13: 9781460334928
• Pages: 256 (large print)

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Award-winning author, Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming romances. Jennifer has won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, named a TOP PICK author, and been nominated for numerous awards. Now living her dream, she resides with her patient husband, amazing daughter (the other remarkable daughter is off chasing her own dreams) and two spoiled cats.

Jennifer loves to hear from readers—you can contact her via her website.

FOLLOW JENNIFER via:

Facebook | Twitter  | Goodreads  | Google+ | Tumblr

 

GIVEAWAY

 For a chance to win one of Jennifer Faye’s books, answer the following question. What quality in a bad boy do you find attractive?

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