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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Enjoy the adventure,

Jodi Thomas

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

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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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Maggie Robinson – Guest Blog and Giveaway

Harriet Benson takes her work at the Evensong Agency seriously, but lately, between convalescing from an illness and tending to her father and two young brothers, she’s had to shorten her hours. So when a promising position opens up for part time work, she immediately accepts, despite the fact that her new boss is scandalously indecent—and dangerously appealing.

Though his reputation paints him as a scoundrel, Sir Thomas Featherstone is more proper than anyone would guess. But Harriet’s wit and luscious curves are driving him to distraction. She’s the perfect woman to fill his office requirements, and other desperate needs he’s been ignoring…

Harriet has always held firm to the rule that a secretary must never fall in love with her employer. Only Thomas is determined to win her affections—and he’s willing to risk any cost to make her his…

 

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Fatin, thanks so much for having me here to talk about my latest release, The Unsuitable Secretary! I have a little confession to make, just between friends: I am a typing class dropout. So how, you ask, can I write 13 full-length historical romances, the latest featuring an efficient secretary? My three fingers and home row are virtual strangers, and I’d be fired before lunch time if I had to earn my living typing anything accurately.

But writing TUS is kind of homage to my dad, who always told me to have a “fall-back” career. In the Dark Ages when I grew up, the suitable professional jobs for young women were teacher, nurse and secretary (i.e., administrative assistant in today’s world). I get super-queasy in hospital settings, so that was out. I wanted to teach (and I did), but my father always nagged me to learn how to type, “just in case.” I wish now I hadn’t dropped out of adult ed night school typing class, cause maybe I could write books faster. But I took the class with my college boyfriend, and we’d leave at the break to make out in his car, LOL.

But if I can’t be a secretary, I can write about one, right? My heroine Harriet Benson has none of my impediments—she is a graduate of commercial college at the turn of the twentieth century, trying hard to be a modern woman and a help to her family. While her office skills are excellent, she’s never had total self-confidence as a woman until her employer Sir Thomas Benedict Featherstone makes her an offer impossible to refuse.

Thomas has some issues, too—he’s a virgin!—and he thinks Harriet is just the goddess to solve them. He’s asked her to be his mistress for one week, but we all know a week is not enough. J

Thomas was nothing like reconciling a column of figures or typing a letter. She couldn’t compare him to baking her apple tart, either. She had mastery over the business and domestic sides of her life, but being a mistress called for qualities she might be lacking in.

Never in a million years would she have thought of herself as some sort of Delilah. But if clothes made the man, they made the woman too. Harriet knew she’d cleaned up very well tonight. She could almost see in herself what Thomas saw.

It helped if she removed her spectacles.

It wasn’t that she was ugly. But she’d grown so tall and had felt gawky all her adult life. It had seemed best to call less attention to herself. If her mother had lived, perhaps she could have taught Harriet how to comport herself differently.

But her mother was dead, and her father was downstairs making a nuisance of himself. Harriet hoped Thomas would return to give a report. Once he did, Harriet planned to attack him.

Well, not an attack exactly. But they would finish what they started earlier, because they didn’t have all the time in the world.

Harriet gets the ultimate makeover as she turns Thomas’s life upside-down even as she organizes his office. And Thomas, being an art-lover and connoisseur of the finer things of life, knows shy Harriet is the woman for him. It was a delight to bring this couple together, and I hope readers enjoy their journey.

I’ll give away a download of any Edwardian-set Ladies Unlaced book (In the Arms of the Heiress, In the Heart of the Highlander, The Reluctant Governess or The Unsuitable Secretary) to one random commenter. How’s your typing? Do you know how to take shorthand? Have you ever had a crush on your boss? Do you remember the Dark Ages?

 

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The Best Kind of Trouble by Lauren Dane – Guest Blog and Giveaway

 She has complete control…and he’s determined to take it away.

A librarian in the small town of Hood River, Natalie Clayton’s world is very nearly perfect. After a turbulent childhood and her once-wild ways, life is now under control. But trouble has a way of turning up unexpectedly—especially in the tall, charismatically sexy form of Paddy Hurley….

And Paddy is the kind of trouble that Natalie has a taste for.

Even after years of the rock and roll lifestyle, Paddy never forgot the two wickedly hot weeks he once shared with Natalie. Now he wants more…even if it means tempting Natalie and her iron-grip control. But there’s a fine line between well-behaved and misbehaved—and the only compromise is between the sheets!

 

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All About the Chase

 

I love a good wooing. Wooing is the foundation of all four Chase Brothers books. A hero in hot pursuit is sexy, determined and sweet.

 

In The Best Kind of Trouble, Paddy Hurley is having a cup of coffee in a local coffeshop in town when he bumps into someone from his past. A gorgeous blonde he’d spent two hot weeks with years before, right before they finally got the break that made his band, Sweet Hollow Ranch, into superstars.

 

And there she is, years later and he can’t stop thinking about her. Even as she tries—and fails—to keep him out of her life. Paddy is successful because he works tirelessly to get what he wants.

 

And what he wants is Natalie.

 

Both of them have hurts and issues that cause them hurt and a misstep here and there. But happy endings take work and in the end working is what Natalie and Paddy do.

 

I hope you all love Paddy and his relentless charm and Natalie’s vulnerable hesitation in this one 🙂

 

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For more information visit www.laurendane.com. And for a chance to win a copy of The Best Kind of Trouble just leave a comment below. Good luck!

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Sierra Dean – Behind the Scenes: Secret McQueen Re-read

The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters

With the final Secret McQueen book, A Secret to Die For, coming out in December, I thought it would be fun to revisit all the books in chronological order and do a bit of behind the scenes trivia about the stories leading up to the big finale.

 

The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters was the second Secret story I wrote, but takes place first in the Secret Universe. It’s a quick, fun read about what happens to Secret when she tries to have a normal dating life, and gives us a good glimpse at what her life is like under the thumb of the Tribunal.

 

I decided to write the prequel novella because I wasn’t quite finished the second book, but part of the story of the first novel was nagging at me. The “subway platform incident” that gets mentioned several times in the first book was something I wanted to know more about. I knew Secret had gotten herself in some trouble, but I wanted to see what would lead a hardened bounty hunter into making that kind of big mistake.

 

The answer: a very, VERY bad vampire who just happens to be one of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood. I love the idea in these stories of bringing in elements of real life, and it doesn’t take a big stretch of the imagination to see what inspired the character of Charlie. Which leads to my list of trivia!

 

5 Facts About The Secret Guide to Dating Monster:

 

1. Charlie was not-so-loosely based on Robert Pattinson. I got a real kick out of the idea that someone who plays a vampire in movies might actually be one in real life, and how he would use his fame to manipulate people.
2. Detective Tyler is named for my friend Shawn, whose middle name is Tyler. And the bar McCarthy’s is named for Shawn and his wife Jessica who is one of my best friends. On that note, the fake name Secret gives Charlie is “Jessica.” This is a nod to the 4 of my good friends name Jessica, and Secret even takes a poke at the “unoriginality” of the name.
3. Tyler was only every supposed to appear as a one-off character in this novella, but I liked him so much I brought him back in Secret Santa and he stuck around for the rest of the series.
4. This was actually the first book I wrote in the series after visiting New York. I hadn’t yet seen the city in person when I wrote Something Secret This Way Comes, so a lot of the descriptions of places are much more detailed than they were in the first book.
5. The Columbia Hotel, which re-appears in Keeping Secret, is a nod to both my Canadian heritage (it’s designed to reflect the British Columbia interior) and is also meant as a subtle way for Lucas to embrace his werewolf nature. Since he isn’t publicly “out” as a werewolf, he uses the design of the hotel to show his affinity for nature.
6. Bonus fact: though we don’t learn what Desmond’s job is until much later in the series, and he isn’t even mentioned in this book, he was the lead architect who designed the hotel.

 

Overall, The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters remains one of my favorite books in the whole series. It’s a great introduction to the characters and the world. It can either be read chronologically first, or following Something Secret This Way Comes to give a little more of the nitty-gritty detail of the infamous “subway platform incident.”

 

What is your favorite tie-in novella for a series?

 

*****

For more information on the Secret McQueen series, including excerpts, blurbs, and reading order, visit sierradean.com.

And for the chance to win a digital copy of The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters just leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn on Sunday. Good luck!

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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

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Marie Harte – Guest Blog and Giveaway

HE CAN’T GET HER OUT OF HIS HEAD
It’s lust at first sight when Brody Singer first lays eyes on Abby Dunn. The dark-haired beauty looks a lot like a woman he once knew, who died years ago. At first Brody fears his attraction is a holdover from that secret crush, but Abby’s definitely different. She’s a lot shyer, a lot sexier and, despite her attempts to dissuade his interest, absolutely mesmerizing.

SHE CAN’T GET HIM OUT OF HER BOOKS
Abby isn’t having it. She’s still trying to put her last disastrous relationship behind her and overcome the flaws her ex wouldn’t let her forget. But somehow Brody isn’t getting the hint. It doesn’t help that when writing her steamy novels, she keeps casting Brody as the hero.

Brody is more than happy to serve as her muse and eager to help make sure her “research” is authentic. But when their research turns into something real…will she choose her own happily ever after?

 

How I Handled My Heartbreaker

 

With the first book already turned in to my editor, contracts had been signed for the entire McCauley Brothers series. I owed three more books. Dwelling on a huge amount of work to write three more contemporary romances having the same pacing, sexual tension and humor, I had more than a few sleepless nights. But I find that the easiest way to finish a project is to take it on in small chunks. A few chapters at a time I finished Brody’s story—How to Handle a Heartbreaker. And the other two followed quite nicely.

 

I wrote Heartbreaker two years after book one, The Troublemaker Next Door. Getting the characters right was easy. They still felt real after so much time, because I’d built them from top to bottom when writing the first book. I knew them, inside and out. And Sourcebooks really nailed the title, because it’s so appropriate. Brody is a heartbreaker, no question.

 

Normally in my romances, I like my happily-ever-afters clean. I dislike annoying heroines with little backbone, and too much angst in a story is a total turn off. I like sexy entertainment that’s moving but not so emotional you need a box of tissues handy to stem continual tears. But when writing this story about real characters, some angst slipped in. And the characters are much less than perfect.

 

There’s a certain charm to family. Pretty or ugly, it is what it is. The McCauleys charmed me the moment they came into being. Four hunky brothers bound by blood and affection. They’re tight and would do anything for one another. But none of them are perfect. The patriarch and matriarch are having issues. The guys seem to shy from committed relationships, and the youngest McCauley is a conniving six year old charmer who has the neighbors convinced that at the rate he’s headed, juvie can’t be far behind.

 

Enter Brody Singer, the unofficially adopted McCauley. Taken in by the McCauleys when he was just a little boy, he quickly became an integral part of the family. But Brody has issues that no amount of ignoring the past can cover. His biological family returns, and his past rears its ugly head.

 

While that made for great drama and more than a few tears, I admit, it was seeing how Brody triumphed that made the story sing for me. That, and how Abby meets him more than halfway. She’s just like many women I know—self-conscious about her looks, stuck on who she thinks she needs to be instead of who she should be, and wishing for a soul-deep love. Abby really learns and grows in the story, and her vulnerabilities make her stronger.

 

Then there’s Mutt, a huge, hairy, kind of ugly stray Brody rescued from the pound. Mutt is stubborn, doesn’t listen to Brody, and generally makes a mess wherever he goes. Yet he’s that lovable innocent that deserves so much more, and during this story, we get to see how Mutt fits into the McCauley clan, and how he and Brody are actually a lot alike—to the amusement of Abby.

 

Brody is a heartbreaker for sure, but I handled the sexy, charming cardsharp by pairing him with a family who loves him and a woman who won’t tolerate less than everything he has to give. And that’s how I chose to write the happy ending for the blond McCauley.

 

How to Handle a Heartbreaker is now available at:

Amazon http://tinyurl.com/pkxcbnf

B&N http://tinyurl.com/q6bowsb

Kobo http://tinyurl.com/mozglcp

iTunes http://tinyurl.com/m5nucvf

 

 

 

Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, NY 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.

 

 

Giveaway

For the chance to win a copy of The Trouble Next Door by Marie Harte (print for U.S., digital for international) just leave a comment below. Good luck!

 

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Kristen Morgen – Guest Blog and Giveaway

Rebecca Jordan’s life is simple, disciplined and uncomplicated, at least on the surface. Then she meets a handsome stranger/secret admirer named Michael Vale one fateful late night at a bookstore café. As a focused but struggling photographer with a passion for art, her outwardly happy world is turned upside down during this life-changing encounter when she quickly realizes she has met her soul mate. The undeniable attraction between them and their intense, immediate connection seem picture perfect as they discuss the shop’s local artwork, until Rebecca abruptly ends the chance meeting with no explanation.

 

Betraying Brett, her loyal, loving boyfriend is something she can never bring herself to do. Driven by a strong moral code and molded by divorced parents and a tumultuous childhood, she struggles to stay away from Michael, but fate and circumstance intervene, bringing them back together time and time again. As much as she resists, there is no denying her true feelings for him and the simple fact that Michael understands her in a way Brett never has. Michael proves to be everything she’s ever wanted, but remains just out of her reach.

 

Behind the Glass tells the story of Michael and Rebecca’s extraordinary love and the many unconventional stages their relationship must go through. Their morals and their faith in true love and in each other will be put to the test as they learn that meeting one’s soul mate does not come without obstacles.

~~~*~~~*~~~

 

The Making of Behind the Glass

When I began writing Behind the Glass, I did it for me. Plain and simple. With those first taps on the keyboard, I set out to write a love story that I wanted to read. I didn’t worry about what anyone else thought, only that I, as a reader, was satisfied with the end result. I had the general story outlined and knew exactly who my characters were, but it wasn’t until each chapter slowly evolved that I really understood what I wanted to say.

Like many people, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of love at first sight. Is it real? Can it happen in real life? And if it does, do people really live happily ever after? It was definitely the main theme for the story, but as a lover of romance novels, that would have been way too easy. So, what if two people met, fell in love, and were without a doubt, meant to be with each other, but had all the odds constantly stacked against them? If it truly is love at first sight, then in the end, it has to be a love worth fighting for.

I love stories that torture you a little bit and make you really root for the main characters throughout the course of the story. Characters with depth and complexity have always appealed to me as a reader and I wanted to bring that complexity to this story as a writer. Life is not simple, and neither is love. Rebecca and Michael’s story is the culmination of a lot of themes I’ve always been fascinated with as a reader and as this book evolved, it became more about the unbreakable connection between two people and taking chances together, no matter what the odds.

 

About the Author

Kristen Morgen, an up and coming new adult contemporary romance author, can’t remember a time in her life when she didn’t crave designing, creating, discovering, and using her imagination in some way. Educated and trained as a licensed architect and working at her own architectural firm for many years, her true passion has always been writing. An avid reader from a very early age, the romance genre is admittedly her favorite guilty pleasure – a hopeless romantic to the end.

Kristen loves the art of shaping words and sentences into relatable stories while creating rich characters for her readers to connect with. She enjoys exploring relationships and discovering the little reasons people fall in love with each other while uncovering deeper truths. Honing her craft in her free time and choosing exactly the type of story she wanted to tell, Kristen presents Behind the Glass as her debut novel.

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, she currently resides in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters. Never one to let her creative mind sit idle for very long, in her free time she is currently hard at work on her next novel and reads almost anything she can get her hands on.

 

Kristen’s Social Media Accounts:

Website: http://www.kristenmorgen.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristenMorgen

Facebook: Kristen Morgen Facebook

Goodreads: Kristen Morgen Goodreads

 

Where to find Behind the Glass:

Amazon: Behind the Glass Amazon

Goodreads: Behind the Glass Goodreads

 

E-BOOK GIVEAWAY:

 

For the chance to win a digital copy (mobi or epub format) of Behind the Glass by Kristen Morgen, just leave a comment below. Two winners will be drawn. Good luck!

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