Monday, September 30, 2013

Love and Other Games Release Day PARTY!

Love and Other Games is a collection of four sexy new adult stories centered around athletes competing in the Winter Games by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, and Kara Leigh Miller. It releases October 1st from Swoon Romance in all major electronic formats.

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Worth More Than Gold by Ana Blaze


Amy Pierce, the klutzy sister and manager of America’s Skating Sweetheart, is used to being invisible. But when a friend drags her to a party near the Olympic Village, Amy catches the eye of a sexy Norwegian ski jumper. It’s a magical night, but an awkward next morning has her running.


Everyone knows Erik Andresen’s best shot at an individual medal was back in 2010, before an injury pulled him from the competition. He’s there for his team, but a hot night and a remarkable final training session have him wondering if a gorgeous good-luck charm could give him another chance at the podium. With a little bit of luck, these two might have a shot at something worth more than gold.


Ana Blaze's: Website | Twitter | Facebook


Trouble With Gold by Melinda Dozier


US snowboarder and notorious prankster, Ty (Trouble) Madsen is only getting a taste of his own medicine when his Olympic teammates shackle him to a fence wearing nothing but his boxers.


Reception and protocol volunteer, Nadia Hoffman, gets up close and personal with the sexy snowboarder to rescue him, but she's not the kind of girl who lets her hormones get in her way. A professional performance could help her land her dream job at Olympics Committee Headquarters, but her new assignment supervising the rambunctious US Snowboarding Team is making that difficult.


Can she see behind the snowman in the community center bathroom and into the warm heart of the man everyone calls Trouble?


Melinda Dozer's: Website | Twitter | Facebook


The Girl Behind the Gold by Aria Kane


Greek aerial skier Lia Milonas’s parents are about to lose the family farm. Saving it means medaling and landing a huge sponsor. While her no-nonsense attitude has her well on her way to a medal, it hasn’t won her a place in fans' hearts.


“Come back with a story that will make readers cry, or don’t come back.” This is what Brandon James’ boss told him before he left New York to cover the Winter Games for Moment Magazine. With a wink and a smile, he can charm his way into any invite-only party, but that career-making story is nowhere to be found – until he meets Lia.


The two strike a deal that should get them both what they want - but neither would have guessed they’d also find what they need.


Aria Kane's: Website | Twitter | Facebook


Ice Gold by Kara Leigh Miller


Colton Campbell thrives on the fast paced, adrenaline rushed lifestyle of being an Olympic hockey player. Despite Brenna Jessup's abhorrence for the games and the athletes, she's hand-picked as the official photographer for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. When a faux pas by Brenna almost costs Colton his career, she owes him. Too bad for her, Colton doesn't want apologies -- he wants retribution! And he knows just how to get it -- and her -- in the process.


Kara Leigh Miller's: Website | Twitter | Facebook



Goodreads | Amazon | B&N


The authors are hosting a Facebook party on release day filled with fun, surprises, and PRIZES! You can find the event here! https://www.facebook.com/events/353106031489358/


Blog Tour Giveaway
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Amber Daulton - Author : Book Blitz and Giveaway - Fractured Legacy by Skye...

Amber Daulton - Author : Book Blitz and Giveaway - Fractured Legacy by Skye...:   Fractured Legacy by Skye Callahan  (Darkness Bound #1) Publication date: October 22nd, 2013 Genres: New Adult,...

Amber Daulton - Author : Sweet 'n Steamy Blog Tour with Kara Leigh Miller a...

Amber Daulton - Author : Sweet 'n Steamy Blog Tour with Kara Leigh Miller a...:     Writing What You Know By Kara Leigh Miller & Sharon Kleve     “We’re told to write what we know, but we don’t wan...

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Danica Winters - Book Spotlight and Review of 'Christmas Wishes'


Thank you, Danica Winters, for sending me a copy of Christmas Wishes for review.

SPOILERS!!! 

The heroine, Lee, is a strong yet emotionally damaged woman who lost her son due to an accident and her husband through the divorce that followed. Three years had passed since her life turned upside down. Without friends or family, she's all alone and is desperate for a reason to live again.

While visiting her son's tombstone, she meets the hero, Albert, as he visited the grave of his departed wife. Though they don't speak of it, she realizes that he is going through emotional trauma not much different than her own. Later that evening, she unexpectedly met up with him again and also met his adorable six-year old daughter, Penny.

Albert struggles to provide a cheerful, happy home for Penny. He had raised her all alone since she was around two and loves her unconditionally, yet the home isn't happy and neither is he. Albert feels empty and lost, but puts on a brave face for his inquisitive little princess.

Told solely from Lee's POV, we see and feel her regret over losing both her son and husband and her desire to find love and to start life all over again. Even though she will always love her son and cherish her memories of him, she desperately wants something or someone to pull her out of her miserable rut.

The answer comes in a man dressed in cowboy boots and as dusty black cowboy hat with a blonde princess in tow!!!

REVIEW!!!

I adored this delightful yet teary-eyed short story. Even with the tearjerker plot, the author weaves humor into mix. Like when Lee ruins Christmas dinner in the most outlandish way I've ever read. Wow! What was that woman thinking? I laughed out loud and couldn't stop smiling.

I totally got all teary with the pain Lee felt after losing her son. I'm not a mother but I couldn't imagine losing my baby. Since I'm married, I connected better with Albert because he lost his wife. My stomach churns whenever I think about losing my husband. I wish I could have learned more about Albert and his past (like his relationship with his wife and how she died).

The romance between Lee and Albert felt kinda rushed to me. I mean, they only knew each other for about 24 hours before they realized that the other person was the one they were waiting on to fulfill them and to move on with. I understand both characters were lonely and needed companionship/understanding but if they became friends first, with love coming later, the connection between them would have been stronger and more fulfilling in my opinion.

The motto of this story is to never give up on living. When life kicks you down, you gotta pick yourself back up. It's about trust and the kindness of strangers, about following your heart and putting yourself out there, despite potential rejection and more pain. It's about Christmas wishes and miracles!

Lee and Albert were great characters. I wanted to know more about them and see their new found love progress. I didn't want the book to end.

Thanks again, Danica, for this wonderful story.

4 Stars.

Christmas Wishes
Length: Short Story
Publisher: Books To Go Now
Purchase Links: TBD
Pages: 30
Tag Line:  Is she ready to start living again?
Blurb: Christmas is a time for family, love, life, dreams, and wishes—except for Lee Llewellyn, a mother who has recently lost her son to an accident and her husband to the resentment her son’s death caused. In a chance encounter, she is given the gift of company on Christmas, but is she ready to move forward and start living again? 



Author Bio: Danica Winters is a bestselling author who is known for writing award-winning books that grip readers with their ability to drive emotion through suspense and often a touch of magic. When she’s not working, she can be found in the wilds of Montana testing her patience while she tries to understand the allure of various crafts (quilting, pottery, and painting are not her thing).  She always believes the cup is neither half full nor half empty, but it better be filled with wine.




Social Media Links:
Paranormal Romance Fans for Life Blog: http://paranormalromancefanforlife.blogspot.com/


Available Books and Links: 

To be Released October 7, 2013:
Winter Swans
Series: The Nymph Series
Book 3
    Book 1: The Nymph’s Labyrinth
    Book 2: Montana Mustangs
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Pages: 300

Tag Line:  A curse that forbids her to love…A child that he must keep secret…An attack on the culture she holds dear…And a battle that could get them killed…

Blurb: A curse that forbids her to love…A child that he must keep secret…An attack on the culture she holds dear…And a battle that could get them killed…
Single dad and professional poker player, Chance Landon, hates the world after his ex-wife is found dead in a cheap apartment in rural Idaho.  On a lone-wolf crusade to find the killer, he instead learns that he is the father of a strange little girl who carries secrets that only a woman like his ex-wife can answer.  
When his ex-wife’s killer learns about his daughter’s abilities and decides to come after the young girl, Chance enlists the help of the beautiful and deadly swan-shifting nymph, Harper Cygnini, who helps to teach him the truth of his daughter’s condition.  Chance soon realizes that he alone can’t save his daughter from the sadistic killer and he finds himself in a battle between his head and his heart.  Will Chance gamble on a future that involves falling in love—which may well cost him his life—or is that one bet his is unwilling to take? 


Montana Mustangs
Publication Date: May 6th, 2013 
Series: The Nymph Series
Book 2
    Book 1: The Nymph’s Labyrinth
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | ITunes
Pages: 300

Tag Line:  Can there be life without love or is death the only choice?  

Blurb:
A nymph: a woman with the ability to seduce at will, shift to protect, but cursed with the fate to have the man she falls in love with die a tragic death. As one of these ill-fated nymphs, Aura Montgarten has spent her lifetime drifting from one place to another hiding from love—until she meets Dane.
When a body washes up on the shore of a rural Montana lake, police officer Dane Burke is faced with the task of finding the killer—even if it means he will be forced to put his life and heart at risk by working with a drifter.  As the truth of Aura’s Mustang-shifting nymph ways are revealed, Dane learns exactly the amount of danger he and Aura are in, but can’t force himself to leave a case unsolved when the truth is just outside his grasp.  


When the killer decides he needs to take another victim—Dane—Aura must choose between their forbidden love and her immortal life.  Can there be life without love or is death her only choice?  



The Nymph’s Labyrinth
Publication Date: December 31, 2012
Series: The Nymph Series
Book1
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble  | Kobo | All Romance
Pages: 300

Tag Line: Forbidden passions threaten to expose deadly secrets...


Blurb: A world shrouded in mystery and intrigue, the Sisterhood of Epione must not be exposed.  
A Shape-shifting nymph, Ariadne, is tasked with keeping the truth of her group’s existence and their ancient mysteries far out of reach of an American archeologist and his troublemaking son.  When forgotten and forbidden passions are awakened, Ariadne is forced to make a choice—fall in line and continue to be overrun and pushed down by the sisterhood, or follow her heart and put everyone’s lives in danger.
Can she have the man she loves or will the pressure and secrets of the past keep her from her heart’s desire?



Other Books by Danica Winters:
An Angel’s Justice

Coming Soon from Danica Winters (2013):
Christmas Wishes (Books To Go Now)
Winter Swans (Crimson Romance)
(2014)
Savannah Sacrifice (Crimson Romance)



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Here's the first romance novel I ever read, True Blue, by Ingrid Weaver. I was 12 years old and, because of this book, I decided to start writing. I'd love to find it again to add to my collection.


Smashwords Interview

 My new interview with Smashwords is LIVE!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Sweet 'n Steamy Blog Tour with Kara Leigh Miller and Sharon Kleve


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Writing What You Know
By
Kara Leigh Miller & Sharon Kleve

    “We’re told to write what we know, but we don’t want to be known by what we write.” ~Anonymous
The most common piece of advice given to writers, both knew and experienced, is to write what you know. But, is this good advice? Stop and really think about this for a moment. What do you know? What subject do you know enough about to be able to write an entire book on the topic?
Here’s what Kara and Sharon know:
Parenting five children, taking care of dogs and cats, having a healthy pregnancy and giving birth, being a straight A student in college, taking detailed notes, conducting legal research and writing legal briefs, being a secretary, coaching a summer color guard group: twirling a flag, tossing a rifle, and shaking pom-poms.  Baking amazingly, chewy bagels, yummy sour dough bread, groove to Hip-Hop Abs, handle foreign travel logistics, and caring for stray cats, raccoons and squirrels.
Sure, it’s an impressive list of knowledge, and it comes in handy when necessary, but does any one of them on their own make good enough fodder for a novel? Probably not. Sure, we draw on our knowledge and experiences while writing, but honestly, would you read an entire novel about a mom of five who takes care of animals and coaches color guard? Or about a woman who bakes bread in between grooving to Hip-Hop Abs while planning a foreign tip and feeding a stray squirrel? No. Why? Because it’s BORING!
So, write what you know? Absolutely not! Get out of your comfort zone, do some research, and write a book about something you know absolutely nothing about. Not only will it be exciting for you, it will stretch and test your abilities as a writer.


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Book Title: Jilted
Author: Kara Leigh Miller
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 9.15.2013
Length: 49K
Heat Rating: Hot

Book Blurb: 

Amy and Brett have been friends since they were kids; and their friendship has withstood the test of time. But can it withstand Brett's fiancée, Vanessa?

Brett Hudson has often wondered what it would be like to be more than Amy's friend, but when he's chosen as the newest professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, he meets Vanessa, one of the shows costume designers and it's a whirlwind romance that ends in a wedding proposal. As the big day draws closer, Brett begins to think that marrying Vanessa might be a bad idea. She wants him to give up Amy. Completely. Will he give up his best friend for the woman he's supposed to marry?

Amy King is heartbroken to learn that Brett is marrying another woman. But, when Brett is jilted at the altar, he begs Amy to go on his honeymoon with him. A week on a tropical island with her best friend, the man she's fantasized about for years is a dream come true for Amy. But when Brett suggests crossing the line from friends to lovers, Amy is reluctant. Will she risk years of friendship for one night of passion?


Buy Links:






Excerpt: 

    "It's because you go for the wrong type of guy," Brett said matter-of-factly, pouring a third shot down his throat. "Those muscle bound jocks are all bark and no bite. They look good on the outside, but they're a mess on the inside."
    Amy threw a piece of ice at him and laughed. "And the goody two shoes, school teacher types you date are much better?"
    "Nope." He grinned. "Which is why we're both still single."
    She sighed. "Yeah, so much for my dream of having kids."
    "You're young. I'm sure you'll find someone." He drank his last shot and chased it with his beer.
    "I'm thirty, Brett. By the time I find a man, date him, and get married, I'll be an old hag with no viable eggs."
    The thought of Amy finding a man to marry and have kids with didn't sit well with him. He couldn't stomach the thought of losing her. "I'll tell you what." He leaned across the table and pointed at her. "Three years from now, if neither of us are married, I'll marry you and give you as many babies as you want." Brett's words were slurred. Yup. He was definitely drunk. He wouldn't have made that proposition otherwise.
    "Yeah right." Amy rolled her eyes. "You and me? That would be like fucking my brother. Thanks, but no thanks."
    He flinched at her words. "You think of me as your brother?" That bothered him a lot more than it should, especially considering he'd never once thought of her as a sister.
    She shrugged. "We're best friends. How else would I think of you?" Amy glanced away, and then set her gaze on him again. "Why? How do you think of me?"
    Oh shit! He hadn't expected the conversation to backfire on him like that. What was he supposed to tell her? That he thought of her as a best friend that he wanted to fuck? No, he definitely couldn't tell her that. "As a friend, I guess. I don't know. It's not like I sit around and think about how I should think of you. You're Amy."
    "And you're drunk."
    "Maybe a little." He grinned. "So, do we have a deal or what?"

Author Bio: 

Kara is a multi-published romance author who dabbles in young adult, new adult, paranormal, and contemporary romances. However, her genre of choice will always be erotic romance. She's a member of the CNY Writers Haven and the Romance Writers of America. Writing is her passion and she loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with her fellow authors and her fans.
Today, Kara resides in Upstate New York with her husband, five kids, three cats, and two dogs. When she's not reading or writing, she's spending time with her family and friends.
Nothing excites Kara more than hearing from her fans. So, send her a note. She'll go total fan girl over it!


Social Media Links:





Book Title: Halo's Wish
Author: Sharon Kleve
Publisher: Books to Go Now
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: 9.15.2013
Length: 11K
Heat Rating: Sweet
Book Blurb:
Halo Ann Carlyle wishes for a home, family, and a boat-load of pets. What she gets is a bruised hip, a lump on the head, a broken ankle, and her new yellow Honda Civic is demolished.
 Rich McFarland, a sexy veterinarian, keeps showing up in the most unexpected places, promising everything she's ever wanted.
 Halo believes she only has time to pursue her career as a pet detective and must ignore her growing attraction to achieve her dreams.
 Will Halo trust her heart, and find a way to get both for Christmas?

Buy Links:

Excerpt:
She'd just placed another call through to Pemsky's office, which went straight to his voicemail, when the office door opened. Halo smiled and looked up into dreamy, gold-flecked green eyes, short sandy brown hair, a slight cleft chin, and full lips set in a hard line. Even with the stern look he had on his face, her hormones jumped into overdrive.
Mr. Dreamy cleared his throat—she must've been staring. In her most professional voice she said, "Good morning. How may I help you?"
He removed a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and unfolded the sheet.
"I was parked in front of the Beacon Hill Ale House and my driver's side mirror was sideswiped by one of Pemsky's Security's SUV's Friday night."
Halo loved the Beacon Hill Ale House. Every Saturday night the Ale House allowed local bands to jam together. That's where she'd met her last loser boyfriend. She'd had a lot of loser boyfriends. She's currently on a hiatus from dating, but she wouldn't mind jumping back into the dating game for this dream-boat.
He handed her the piece of paper.
"I wasn't able to get a look at the driver, but I got the license plate number of the vehicle that hit my car and drove away."
He emphasized the last part.
"I'm very sorry about your car. I'm sure Mr. Pemsky will be happy to cover the damage." Halo checked the company log and Pemsky's name popped up as the driver—she gulped. 

Author Bio:
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=75ae4c2176&view=att&th=1412d8560fdabd95&attid=0.4&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-NVmEgkPBCYpol296KZNca&sadet=1379470037975&sads=LYxoPjCIRi58m7-U0w4VLvCrpkYSharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband.
Sharon is a writer of paranormal and contemporary romance. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other's arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way.
One of her favorite things to do is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her.
When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.

Social Media Links:



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Legal Information:
- Entering this contest means you have read, understood, and agree with all rules and regulations stated.
- Entrants must be 18 or older (or age of majority in your country) to enter and to win.
- No purchase necessary.
- Void where prohibited.
- All stated rules are subject to change without notification or reason given.
- Chances of winning vary widely based on the number of entries received.
- Prize is as stated. No substitutions or exchanges.
- Contest host/organizer is not responsible to misrepresented/mistyped email addresses, spam filters, mailer demons, and other internet wackiness that may crop up at the time of winner notification.
- Winners are final.
- Contest Starts 00:01EST September 15, 2013 and Ends 12:59EST October 16, 2013 and open to International participants.
- Winners will be notified via email, Twitter, or Facebook no later than 12:00EST October 18, 2013
-Respond by date to collect prize is 14 days from notification date.