Colleen L Donnelly is here to tell us about her historical romance Katie Walsh.
She's also hosting a great giveaway.
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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Katie Walsh expects to write a love story someday. The hero resembles her father, and the heroine the deceased mother she never knew but imagines from the longing on her father’s face.
Katie doesn’t expect her father to be murdered, or his will to leave their farm to Guy Knowles, the man she hoped to marry, and order her to another state. Betrayed by the men she trusted, what should have become a love like no other withers and dies.
Until Ted Howard, who doesn’t fit the hole Guy left in her heart. Instead, he fits himself into what she needs—someone who will stay, protect her, and break his own heart for her if needed.
Read an Excerpt
When our neighbor, Guy Knowles, began to drop by and take me for long but mostly silent walks across Papa’s pasture, I wondered if my parents had done the same thing and if my excitement mirrored what my mother’s might have been. Did she, like me, translate every quiet step into tender words? Did she see lifelong devotion on Papa’s face then, like I watched for it now on Guy’s?
I expected my love story—the one I would write and the one I would live—to be like theirs. What I didn’t expect was that both stories would begin the day a stranger came to my door and told me my father had just been killed. Killed, not died.
Nor did I expect this tale of “A Love Like No Other” to reach full bloom in a tiny jail cell far away.
About the Author:
Colleen L Donnelly was born and raised in the US Midwest but ventured to other parts of the country as an adult to experience life from other perspectives. Besides writing, she spends time outdoors, antique hunting, reading, or watching a good movie. Even though she retired from a career in laboratory science, she is never bored and always busy at something.
Laurie Woodford is here to tell us about her contemporary romantic comedy Anita Farleigh Unpacks.
There's also a great giveaway.
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Anita Farliegh's cheating lover caused her to walk away from
the only place she’s called home, and she's had it. Until a chance meeting with
Oliver Gogh, a talented nurse with a charming bedside manner, who has her
thinking he may be the man who gets her to drop her guard and try romance one
more time.
Anita Farleigh Unpacks
by Laurie Woodford
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy
One More Time?
Anita Farliegh's cheating lover caused her to walk away from the only place
she’s called home, and she's had it. Until a chance meeting with Oliver Gogh, a
talented nurse with a charming bedside manner, who has her thinking he may be
the man who gets her to drop her guard and try romance one more time.
Free-spirited English professor, Anita Farleigh, thinks she
has it all — her ambitious boyfriend, Zach, and a teaching career that actually
pays her to travel. Then, ten days before Christmas, Anita returns home from a
work trip in Shanghai to discover that Zach has dumped her for a domestic
goddess with enough faux fur ottomans to fill a Hobby Lobby showroom.
On one of the worst days of her life, a hungover, disheveled Anita shows up for
a routine doctor's appointment and meets Oscar, a medical professional who just
happens to be compassionate, funny, and absurdly handsome. When Oscar keeps
showing up in her life, Anita can't deny their chemistry (Is it her fault that
Oscar fills out his scrubs in exactly the right places?). Or their terrible
timing (It'd be wrong to fall for someone so soon after a bad breakup. Right?).
Neither can she ignore her emerging wish for stability as steadfast Oscar
challenges her penchant for living with one foot out the door.
When a remorseful Zach reappears, wanting to woo back his world traveler, Anita
must decide whether to follow familiar flight patterns or finally open her
heart and make a safe landing.
Laurie Woodford is the author of the romantic comedy, Anita
Farleigh Unpacks, and the travel memoir, Unsettled. Before writing
full-time, she taught college English in the U.S., China and South Korea and
earned an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte.
Originally from upstate New York, she now lives in the outskirts of Austin,
Texas with her amazing husband, Bruce, and wonder dog, Journey.
Tamara Hughes is here to tell us about her historical romance Loving Lizzie Finn.
There's also a great giveaway.
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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Lizzie Finn grew up in a brothel, and she’s reminded of that fact every day. She dreams of finding a job and becoming independent. Only then can she be free of her aunt’s disdain. First, she must find an employer who won’t turn her away because of her past.
Byron Greeley is determined to save his family’s business after Lizzie’s uncle falsifies the amount Byron owes on a loan from the bank. Determined to find proof of Teague’s perfidy, Byron slips into the banker’s house and rummages through the study only to be discovered by Lizzie, a red-haired beauty who utterly captivates him.
Byron offers Lizzie a job in exchange for information about her uncle, and because she believes her uncle is innocent, she agrees. When Teague discovers Lizzie and Byron’s growing affection, he threatens to destroy Byron and his family, insisting Byron is exploiting her. Is Teague’s warning well-founded? Are Byron’s feelings for Lizzie true, or is Byron using her for his own gain?
Read an Excerpt
She grasped handfuls of his coat as she basked in the sensations Byron inspired. Dear God, this man had the ability to tease the very Devil into giving up his soul. She’d always believed she’d be better served being alone all her life, but with Byron, she’d never felt so happy, so safe to be who she truly was. “Marry me,” she whispered. The moment the words left her lips, a thread of panic wound itself around her heart.
Byron froze for a moment before he drew back. “What did you say?”
“I … I …”
A knowing smile tugged at his lips. He set his hands on the desk on either side of her and leaned in. “Don’t worry. I won’t pressure you to repeat it, but I will take it as a sign of progress.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and cringed. Indeed, he was wearing down her reluctance.
A fingertip traced her nose before warm lips pressed against hers in an all-too-brief kiss.
When she opened her eyes, Byron stared back, his grin still in place, and a giddy thrill coursed through her. If she did marry Byron, what would their lives be like? Even if the two of them could be happy together, what about his parents and sister? “If your family knew where I grew up, would they accept me?”
“Of course.” Although Byron was quick to respond, his smile faded. “I’ll marry you even if they don’t.”
About the Author:
A small-town girl with a big imagination, Tamara Hughes had no idea what to do with her life. After graduating from college, she moved to a big city, started a family and a job, and still struggled to find that creative outlet she craved. An avid reader of romance, she gave writing a try and became hooked on the power of exploring characters, envisioning adventures, and creating worlds. She enjoys stories with interesting twists and heroines who have the grit to surmount any obstacle, all without losing the ability to laugh. To learn more, stop by her website: www.tamarahughes.com.
The authors of Just in Time for Christmas: Tales of Romance, a holiday romance anthology, are here to tell you about their stories and themselves.
They're also hosting a great giveaway.
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Keep warm this
season with these 4 tales of holiday romance!
Just in Time
for Christmas: Tales of Romance
with stories by
Shay Lacy,
Constance Phillips, Denise Lynn, Mila Winters
Genre: Holiday
Romance Anthology
A Fiery Flamingo Christmass by Shay Lacy
What will ignite when a protected witness with a
flamethrower meets the hunk next door?
The mob located Gina Weston two days before Christmas, but she refuses to run
any more. Except maybe into the arms of her next-door neighbor after he
extinguishes her burning flamingo Christmas tree. But are her gun and
flamethrower enough to protect her from the lure of this sport hero playboy?
Former home run king Stone "Sledge" Hammer had been bored in the
baseball off-season. Meeting Gianna has given him the chance to be a hero
again, if she lets him in. While he's showing her the true spirit of Christmas,
can he get inside her defenses to show her the importance of home?
It's no game they're playing, and it's a must-win
against the mob.
Christmas Memories by Denise
Lynn
When Kelly's missing husband unexpectedly shows up with amnesia right before
the holidays, will the miracle of the Christmas season help restore his
memories and what they once shared?
Family Reclaimed by Constance
Phillips
Is their new fragile love strong enough for these
first tests?
Kayson and Jack swore eternal love to each other. Now all they want is some
time alone to explore the meaning of Christmas as a new family. But the hustle
of the holidays while building their dreams at once is testing the strength of
that vow. Everybody wants a piece of them.
If they give all their time and love away to
others, will they have enough left for one another and their young son?
What She Wants for Christmas by
Mila Winters
When Leann's hopes for spending Christmas with her daughter are dashed, she
licks her wounds by indulging in a fling with Ben, the cute guy she meets at a
bar.
All Ben wants for Christmas is to romance the beautiful woman he's had a crush
on for years. If Leanne learns all his secrets, she might not give him a chance
to prove they can be great together.
Now, only Leanne can decide if Ben is really what
she wants for Christmas.
Shay Lacy lives in Ohio
with her husband and cat GG.
She writes romantic suspense and erotic fantasy
romance. Shay sees story ideas everywhere. Even something as simple as a sequin
can spark a new romantic suspense. Many times a story has emerged from her
musing, “You know, somebody could die from that.”
When not writing, she loves to bake, people watch, and
shop flea markets and estate sales.
Shay enjoys hearing how couples met and what they love
about each other. You can find more information about Shay, her books, and how
to contact her at her website, www.shaylacy.com.
Denise Lynn lives in NW Ohio
with her husband, son and an ever-changing number of 4-legged kids.
She writes medieval romance for Harlequin/Mills and
Boon Historical and whatever she feels like writing for herself. Having read
romance novels since she was far too young to do so, she enjoys having the
opportunity to share her own stories with readers.
In her spare time, she gardens, sews, and basically
putzes around with any craft project she can get her hands on.
Visit website at www.denise-lynn.com
for more information on her books. Links to her social media pages, to the
Denise Lynn Newsletter and contact information are on her site.
Constance
Phillips lives in
Ohio with her husband, daughter, and three canine kids.
She writes
contemporary and paranormal romance novels.
When not writing
stories of finding and rediscovering love, Constance loves spending time in the
garden, with her pups, or cooking with her fresh from the garden produce.
If she leaves the
house, it’s to spend time with good friends or family…or go to an eighties pop
concert.
Mila
Winters loves
romance. Be it written between the pages of a book, larger than life on the big
screen or residing in her home. So, of course, she writes it too. That is, when
she’s not working
with teenagers or hanging out with her wife and their dog Toby.
Creating likeable
(and sometimes unlikeable) characters makes her do a happy dance and she hopes
her readers enjoy them too. To learn more about Mila, her other stories and how
her writing brain works, visit her at www.milawinters.com.
Alice Gene is here to tell us about Danine, rom com, urban fantasy.
Read on for details...
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Rom Com, Urban Fantasy
Date Published: November 15, 2024
Michael has enrolled at The Familiar Training Academy to be paired with the
familiar who’ll be at his side for life. Only, the Academy has chosen
to put him with their problem child. And he’s supposed to teach her
obedience?
Danine hangs out with wild raccoons and has no intention of taking orders.
But Michael makes the bond so sweet, she has to stick around for more. When
a class project gets her lost in a charmed forest, will he find her?
EXCERPT
For some reason, the administrator was nervous. As a brand-new student,
Michael Bedford should have been the anxious one. After all, he was entering
the Familiar Training Academy as a rank amateur sorcerer. The coursework
would test even the brightest students, and he’d have to take charge
of a familiar.
As of right now, he had no idea what sort of person they’d linked him
to. And not just person. His familiar would also be a shifter… able
to change into an animal. She could be any species at all, and within
minutes of meeting her, he’d have to bond with her physically.
No pressure there, right? Wrong. He was going to have to perform with a
perfect stranger. He’d never had a problem in that area, but this was
different. In fact, he’d been looking forward to it ever since
he’d received the acceptance letter from the Academy. How they got
along now would color the rest of their time together, probably until one of
them died.
“Um.” The administrator cleared his throat. “We’ve
sent folks to find Danine. She should be here any minute.”
“Can you tell me more about her?” Like what kind of creature
he’d be taking to bed as soon as she arrived.
“Danine is… well… special to all of us,” the
administrator said.
“How special?”
“Bear in mind, our selection was based on quantitative measures of
your personality and needs,” the man said. “Highly
scientific.”
Something was definitely off here. The man was dodging Michael’s
questions. Had their measurements paired him with something truly
unpalatable? Maybe a banana slug or dung beetle. Maybe something dangerous
like one of those frogs indigenous people used to make poison for their
darts. If he licked her at the wrong time, he might end up dead. Or stoned
out of his mind.
“Let’s try this another way,” Michael said. “Is she
animal, vegetable, or mineral?”
“Ha-ha. Good one.” The man fidgeted with his pen.
“She’s definitely animal.”
Brother. At least they were narrowing it down. “Mammal or marsupial?
Feline? Canine? Ungulate? She’s not venomous, is she?”
Laughter again, this time high pitched. “Not at all, and she’s
had all her shots.” The man continued to laugh, this time at his own
joke. It hadn’t been all that funny.
“Then, we’re talking mammal,” Michael said.
“I must stress that you are the sorcerer here and she the familiar.
She needs to obey you. Obedience in all things.” Michael had never
expected a woman to obey him. If he was lucky, a woman might agree with him,
but in his experience, trying to boss a woman around was only asking for
trouble.
“Oh, my.” The man checked his watch. “She knew she was
supposed to meet you twenty minutes ago. Where is she?”
“Maybe I should come back at another time.” And miss out on
bonding, at least for now. Damn it. He’d counted on settling into his
rooms here with some really good sex. As long as he didn’t have to do
it with a banana slug.
Finally, a scratching came at the window, like claws against the glass. The
administrator looked in that direction. “Well, here she is
now.”
Michael glanced over to find a raccoon balanced precariously on the
windowsill. It continued to swipe at the glass with its paws. The
administrator got up, went to the window, and opened it with some effort.
The buildings were old here, and no doubt things got stuck.
“Where have you been?” the administrator demanded.
“Bedford has been here for a good fifteen minutes.”
“Twenty,” Michael corrected, although his watch said it was
more like twenty-five. The raccoon sniffed a bit, sampling the air
for… what? Human scent? Michael’s? Raccoon faces didn’t
give much away. Then, it climbed down into the room and approached the chair
next to Michael’s. It left a trail of dirty paw prints all the way
across the floor.
“Danine, this is Michael Bedford, your new master,” the
administrator said.
About the Author
Alice Gene likes her romance hot. She writes in a number of different
genres, including paranormal, historical, and contemporary. As Alice
Gaines, she’s a USA Today bestselling author.
Alice has a PhD from UC Berkeley and lives in an apartment the size of a
postage stamp in Oakland. She loves knitting, singing in her church
choir, and funking out with Tower of Power. She also loves hearing from her
readers!
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok:
@changelingpress
Gia Cobie is here to tell us about Guarded from Sabotage, Police and Fire: Operation Alpha - Blade and Arrow Security Bravo Team Book 2, romantic suspense.
Read on for details....
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Title: Guarded from Sabotage (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (Blade and Arrow Security Bravo Team Book 2)
I never imagined my life could fall apart so quickly.
It all started when my credit card was stolen.
I chalked it up to bad luck. A minor annoyance. Until more things started happening—fraudulent loans taken out in my name, my bank accounts drained, and I was even accused of a crime I couldn’t possibly have committed.
And it became terrifyingly clear this wasn’t just bad luck. This was intentional. Someone was methodically tearing apart my entire life, and when I tried to get help, no one would believe me.
As the walls closed in, I kept asking myself, who would do this to me? Where can I turn?
Then my best friend connected me with Blade and Arrow Security, and I realized there’s a silver lining in all this.
Dante. A man I met once and never forgot. He believes me. And as this identity theft turns to something much more dangerous, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect me.
There was a spark from the first time we met.
When I met Sarah at our friends’ wedding, there was just something about her that drew me. But she wasn’t available, and I wasn’t looking for a relationship. Not to mention, she lived almost two thousand miles from me.
A year and a half later, everything changed. I moved to Texas to start up the new branch of Blade and Arrow Security with a group of former Green Berets, just like me. Not long after, Sarah came to us for help.
When I go to meet her, she’s just as amazing as I remember. Beautiful. Smart. Kind. Single. And now we live less than a hundred miles from each other. Close enough to see if this spark between us can turn into something more.
Except she’s a client, and I’m in charge of her case. And I’m worried that pursuing a relationship will cloud my focus. Put her in more danger than she already is.
But it’s getting harder to deny my feelings for her. And the more time I spend with her, the less I want to.
Tears well up, and I sniff against them as I say, “When I told them my car was stolen, they said I was wrong. It wasn’t. The car company repossessed my car. I didn’t know.” My words get higher and faster. “I always pay on time, Dante. Always. Even with all of this… I know I made my last payment. I did.”
“Sarah…” He carefully cradles my hand between his. “I’m sure you did.”
“They think I’m making it all up. First the car in Austin, then reporting my car stolen here… I don’t even know if they believe I was mugged. They—” A sob escapes. “They probably think I’m making that up, too.”
Dante’s expression shifts from compassion to anger.
In a cold tone he directs at the police, he says, “This is unacceptable. Denying basic first aid? Treating her like she’s a criminal instead of a victim? I’ll be speaking to my contacts on the force about this.”
Then he turns his attention to me, and his expression softens. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. For all of this.”
His kindness after everything is my undoing, and I burst into tears.
Gia Cobie is a librarian and author living in upstate New York. In her spare time, Gia enjoys reading and spending time in the Adirondacks. She has a soft spot for cheesy reality romance shows, although she also enjoys paranormal and fantasy. Gia loves writing about protective heroes and strong heroines in her Blade and Arrow Security, Heroes of Sleepy Hollow, and Green Mountain Guardians series. In the mood for some paranormal romance? Take a look at her Tenebris Desire series.
Thanks so much for reading today's post. Hope
you enjoyed it!
Robin Jeffrey is here to tell us about Bloody is the Night, The Night #2, a paranormal romance.
There's also a great giveaway.
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Bloody is the Night
Robin Jeffrey
(The Night, #2)
Publication date: November 12th 2024
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Unbeknownst to humans, the werewolves of the world live in tight knit gangs, or “dens”, for protection from outsiders – and each other. Every major metropolis has one; to belong to a den is to have a family for eternity. Shaye Cassidy, an unhoused human woman scraping by on the streets of Los Angeles, hasn’t had anything close to a family in over ten years. Shaye left her home under a cloud to chase the dream of a new start, a dream that quickly turned into a nightmare; a nightmare that grows even more twisted when Shaye witnesses a werewolf killing a fellow unhoused man.
Andy Vasquez is a top member of Sangre Sagrada, second only to the den leader herself. When she tasks him with tracking down a werewolf gone rogue, someone who is killing humans for sport and risking the exposure of their world, Andy dedicates all his resources to the task. He couldn’t have predicted that the key to uncovering the identity of the rogue wolf would be a human woman, any more than he could have predicted that he would fall in love with her.
Now, Andy must protect Shaye not just from the rogue wolf, but also from those within his den who wish she would disappear. Shaye has her own secrets, however, and in the city of angels, everyone has a devilish side.
Sitting on the stool across the table was the slim man from the library. He looked me over with an unimpressed glaze to his eyes, leaning against the table, his breathing somewhat labored.
“Shaye Cassidy?” he said casually, as if we had arranged to meet here on a blind date.
I pushed away from the table, my eyes widening. “Shit–!”
Two massive hands clamped onto my shoulders. I tried to twist around, to twist out of their grip, but I might as well have been trying to squirm out of handcuffs. “Stay awhile,” said the silver-haired man behind me, pressing me down into the stool, squeezing hard, but not hard enough to be painful.
Heart in my throat, pounding against my skin like it was trying to escape, I watched as the dark-haired man slid himself on top of the plush green seat across from me, reaching forward and picking up a few pieces of hard-shelled candy out of the bowl as he settled himself. “How did you even get into a place like this?” he asked, an amused quirk to the corner of his mouth that set me on edge.
Even in the midst of the chaotic bar, his voice was deep, cool, and clear, like water from a mountain river. I watched as he threw the candy into his mouth piece by piece, and he returned my stare, his brows lifting over his dark eyes.
My tongue darted out to wet my suddenly dry lips. I cleared my throat. “Are you going to hurt me?”
His lips twitched up into a lightning strike smile that was gone almost as soon as it appeared. “No.” Tongue probing the inside of his cheek, he leaned forward across the table, so he didn’t have to shout. “Are you going to answer my question?”
His calmness grated on my raw nerves. I rolled my eyes and gestured towards the back of the club, past the dance floor. “Fire door alarm around the back is busted. Has been for almost a year.” As I shifted my weight on my seat, the man’s grip on my shoulders remained steady and firm. I grimaced at the pressure. “I noticed it when they hired me for a day to wash some dishes.”
The man looked in the direction I indicated and gave a harrumph, his shoulders rising and falling. He returned his attention to me, nodding. “Clever.”
Frowning, I gripped the edge of the table tightly. “I’m homeless, not blind.” I looked around. No one seemed to notice that I was under duress. If I started screaming, what would happen? What would anyone do? I decided not to risk it, sighing and staring at the man across from me instead. “I’m not stupid either. You’re Andy Vazquez, right?”
His calm facade cracked, if only slightly. This time he actually looked impressed, his eyes widening slightly, faint surprise clear in the opening of his mouth. “Ah, yeah.”
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“I thought you said you weren’t stupid.” He smiled, his eyes narrowing. “What would someone like me want with someone like you?”
“I don’t know,” I answered with unusual honesty, throwing one hand into the air. “I don’t even know who you are; not really. Just that you’re looking for me. You and the LAPD.” Looking him over more closely, a thought occurred to me. “Is that it? Are you a cop? Like a detective or something?”
As soon as the question was out of my mouth, I knew the answer was no. Getting a closer look at him, he couldn’t have been dressed less like a police officer. A part of my brain I had not used in a long time recognized the deceptively plain white dress shirt he was wearing as Louis Vuitton, meaning it cost somewhere close to a thousand dollars. The pants they were tucked into? Armani, over a thousand. The jacket? Even at this distance, I could tell: a single-breasted affair in virgin wool and silk – two thousand at least.
But it wasn’t just the clothes. It was the way he wore them.
Like they were strictly temporary.
Author Bio:
Robin Jeffrey can almost always be found cranking out punchy flash fiction, lyrical essays, or world-rich novels. Her writing has been published in magazines across the country and around the world. She currently calls the Pacific Northwest of the United States home, where she lives happily with her husband and their out of control comic book collection. She currently resides in the rainy Pacific Northwest. More of her work can be found on her website, RobinJeffreyAuthor.com.
