Exclusive Interview with author Kathryn Troy, plus a look at time travel/fantasy romance, CURSE OF THE AMBER!

Hi, readers! I am pleased to announce a very special post today on ILRB. We’re doing something a little different. This is our eleventh official author interview on this romance blog! I know in the past, we did character interviews then switched over to the author’s take on it, but this approach is a bit unusual.

We have a real treat for you, readers. Today we get to speak one-on-one with a talented multi-genre author. Please join me in welcoming Kathryn Troy to ILRB! 🙂

Marie Lavender:  Hello, Kathryn. Please have a seat.

Author Kathryn Troy:  Hi, Marie!

Marie:  Hey, such a pleasure to have you here!

I’m going to throw in some standard questions first.

Obviously, we know your occupation as an author, but some writers have other jobs as well. Do you have another occupation? Do you believe you’re any good at it? Do you like what you do?

I know I’m overloading you with questions, but we’re really interested in finding out more about you…

Kathryn:  My day job is as a professional historian and adjunct professor. I’m also trained as a pastry chef. I love genre fiction, and I love writing genre fiction – I use up all my free time doing it.

Marie: Nice!

So, tell us…what is your family like?

Kathryn:  I have a loving husband and two cute kids – one boy and one girl.

Marie:  That’s wonderful!

Let’s try something else, okay?

If it doesn’t bother you at all, can you let us know what your childhood home looked like?

Kathryn:  Like a full house – I lived with my parents, my grandparents, two siblings, and a rotation of cousins and aunts and uncles.

Marie:  Wow…I thought five people crammed under one roof was crowded! (Laughs.) But I’m sure you’re all still close-knit.

Do you have any hobbies, Kathryn? What do you enjoy doing?

Kathryn:  I think of writing as my hobby, since I find time to do it rather than clocking in for it, although I probably spend more hours writing each week than I do on anything else. Aside from that, I enjoy traveling as far and as often as possible. Favorites so far are France, Germany, and Hawaii. Next up: China.

Marie:  Cool!

And what is your greatest dream?

Kathryn:  To fill my passport up with stamps and need a second book.

Marie:  Sounds like a plan! 😉

Let’s try another question.

Not to pry too much, but who was your first love?

Kathryn:  My first love is my still love – my husband Andy. We met as college freshmen, have been together 17 years, and are about to celebrate 13 years of marriage.

Marie:  Yay! 😀 Congratulations!

(Sighs.) I love romance…

Let’s move on to another topic, shall we?

[Kathryn nods.]

What was your dream growing up? Did you achieve that dream? If so, in what ways was it not what you expected? If you never achieved the dream, why not?

Kathryn:  I have no idea what my childhood dream was – I changed my mind too often. But I’m a fairly content person. My only aspirations at the moment are to see more of this planet.

Marie:  That I can understand! 😀 I’d like to do more traveling as well…

So, who is your role model, Kathryn?

Kathryn:  Xena Warrior Princess. I’m not joking.

Marie:  All right.

Is there someone you pretend to like but really dislike?

Kathryn:  I can’t answer that. What if they read this?

Marie:  (Chuckles.)

And what is your deepest desire?

Kathryn:  Can I get a clone that does the dishes just the way I like them done? If it could fold laundry too, that’d be great. Really, I just need the maid from The Jetsons.

Marie:  (Covers her ears.) No…now I’ll have that theme playing in my head the rest of the day! (Laughs.)

Let’s try a different question.

What is your greatest fear?

Kathryn:  That my clone will be prettier than me. Just kidding! 😉

My biggest fear is probably that my kids will grow up in a post-Columbine, post-Newtown, post-Stoneman school system that did nothing to keep them safe.

Marie:  I agree. The situation is rather terrifying…

Let’s do something else.

If you were trapped on a deserted island, what five essentials would you need with you? They don’t have to be practical.

Kathryn:

A lifetime supply of bug-killer.

Toothpaste

Deodorant

2-ply toilet paper

The Infinity Gauntlet

Marie:  Okay.

Readers, let’s shift somewhat and get the author’s perspective on one of her characters.  🙂

We’ve heard rumors about the heroine of your story, Asenath Hayes. Quite an interesting character. Can you tell us a little about her?

Kathryn:  Asenath Hayes is a young archaeologist, orphaned at a young age and fairly independent, even if she’s a little dysfunctional.

Marie:  And what are Asenath’s greatest strengths?

Kathryn:  She’s intelligent and rational, but also very generous with others.

Marie:  Great! 😀

And her weaknesses?

Kathryn:  She’s a generally anxious person, grappling with some not-so-great life choices.

Marie:  I’m sure some of us can relate to that…

Let’s try something fun, shall we?

What are her favorite foods?

Kathryn:  Anything her roommate Ravi makes – including pork vindaloo and butter chicken.

Marie:  Nice!

How about another question?

What’s a positive quality that your character is unaware that he or she has?

Kathryn:  She doesn’t realize what a good friend she is to others, or how self-sacrificing she is for those she cares about.

Marie:  How admirable!

Will readers like or dislike this character, and why?

Kathryn:  She’s flawed, sure, but I don’t give people any real reason to dislike her.

Marie:  Great!

Now that we have a real taste of Asenath, we have a few questions for you as well as the author, about the writing process of your book.

What first gave you the idea for Curse of the Amber?

Kathryn:  I was reading Anne Rice’s The Mummy, and I felt that some of the storytelling elements were a bit flat. I love the concept of man-out-of-time stories, but I’m not always satisfied by them. I wanted to do something that would be satisfying, unique, and a bit on the darker side.

Marie:  Cool!

It’s fascinating how the muse works, huh? 😉

Let’s try something else.

What is your writing style like, Kathryn? Are you a pantster or a plotter?

Kathryn:  I plot things out, even if it’s just mentally, getting all the major plot points in order and answering some questions of internal logic. I like to know the trajectory, and then go back for the details and polish later. I also did a lot of research for this book, but like I said, I’m a professional historian. I could’ve written a book about bog bodies and ancient Egypt with the amount of reading I did. I chose to write fiction instead.

Marie:  Awesome!

I’m throwing this one in for our aspiring writers. Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Curse of the Amber or publishing it? What would you do differently the next time?

Kathryn:  It’s hard to find the right balance between something that is new, something fresh and original, and something that is clearly categorized and defined. If an agent or editor can’t easily peg the book as belonging to one genre or another, they can’t sell it, no matter how good your prose is. It can be hard to be mindful of the publishing market and marketing strategies while also creating a story. But it’s all about perspective. I’d rather write stories that I want to read, and worry about who else likes it later. It takes away some of the stress of writing to serve a particular audience or literary trend, and the end product tends to be better as a result.

Marie:  I agree!

It was a such a pleasure having you here on the I Love Romance Blog! And how apropos is that, considering what a great story Curse of the Amber appears to be… ♥

Here is the blurb:

A curse, a resurrection, and a centuries old witch hell bent on revenge.

Quintus is a dutiful son and soldier, sent to Britannia to improve his marriage prospects and ensure the Druids never rise again. Roman soldiers destroyed the last Druid stronghold in a battle of blood and fire. So, he never expects to be sacrificed to their sacred bog, trapped forever by the gods below.

Two thousand years later, Asenath Hayes discovers the most well-preserved body in history. And the last thing she needs is for him to wake up.

As the young archaeologist delves into Druidic rituals to grasp why Quintus was offered to a Welsh bog and then resurrected, she is forced to complete her research with the “missing” body, dodge her ex-lover and mentor with his own agenda, and keep her gorgeous new houseguest under wraps.

But, smitten with her as he seems, Quintus says he wants to go home.

Asenath is drawn to Quintus by the secrets they share, even if it scares her. As Asenath is pulled deeper into the mysteries of the bog, she must risk everything to keep him from hell’s cold grasp as she uncovers forbidden rites, awakened deities, and an attraction that transcends the ages.

Here’s a peek at the story…

ASENATH

Chapter 1

 

The sun seems to have forgotten Wales. I didn’t think there was any place on Earth that could make me long to be in Egypt again, but I couldn’t escape the memories that flooded me. I shivered in the absence of the Valley’s merciless heat, where for summers on end its oppressive dryness sucked the life out of my lips and baked my skin into hardened, sand-beaten clay. That dryness had followed Ramesses, Amenhotep, Aken-aten, and his son beyond the world’s suffering down to their resting place, and kept the divine kings ready in the dark, empty stillness.

But the day’s oppression had always faded with the sun. The perfection of those nights on the Eastern Bank, at our host Hani’s home — that was what I missed. Invigorated by the fresh, life-giving breeze off the Nile’s surface and snuggled between my parents under thin woven blankets was a warmth I knew I would never feel again. The cold and damp of Britain, once the stronghold of the Druids, was relentless. The gnawing feeling at the pit of my stomach grew, and the thought I’d pushed away more than once made itself more insistent.

This was a mistake. I shouldn’t be here.

My fingertips numbed to the statuette in my hand, a solid representation of the wet chill in the air. Its faceless form was as alien to me as the bog in which I crouched. The shape of the stone fetish was at least interesting, a long, slender column with a severe “V” etched into it. It held more promise than the dozens of thin rings fashioned out of iron, bronze, and even gold, heaped together in a tangle, the clay pottery, now in shards, and scraps of linen that appeared to be tossed desperately into the bog as a last-ditch effort to avoid Roman destruction. But I couldn’t enjoy it for what it was. It was inscrutable, too disconnected from anything familiar. Its primitive, obscure expression reminded me of my own cold thoughts, and as I squeezed the chilled stone in my hand, I doubted if I would discover anything that had once been warm — made of flesh and blood. We were as deep down as the famous bog bodies had been, more so in certain places, and still we had nothing, or rather no one, to show for it.

I lifted my head, trying to shake off my melancholy and averting my eyes from the stone carving that would not reveal its secrets to me. I was too low down to inhale even a whiff of air that wasn’t saturated with the grassy pungency of the bog wall. From my vantage point, huddled low in a deep, man-hewn pit, the sodden depression of the bog appeared even more overgrown on all sides. Birch trees poked out of humble clusters of willows, red-speckled buckthorn, and mountain ash. Except for these trees skirting its outermost edges, the sunken area was wide and open. The cauldron bog retained its secluded atmosphere, despite being carved into a series of waterlogged cavities.

My somber mood deepened when I saw my advisor approach. Up until then I’d been successful at avoiding him. I deliberately didn’t linger, and always found a reason to visit another pit when the one we were in suddenly emptied of other researchers. I’d resisted the wrenching feeling in my gut too long, but as our excavation wound down, it was impossible to ignore, with nowhere for my thoughts to hide — there was nothing left of what used to be my life.

“How’s it going?” Alex asked, and knelt beside me.

“Fine,” I answered, not bothering to look up from the peat I was brushing off of a link of iron rings sunken into the over-saturated soil.

After a long, awkward silence, he said, “It’s okay, you know.”

“What is?”

“If you don’t…if we don’t find one.”

I swallowed hard. The only place for my rising fury to go was back down.

“I just don’t want you to think that this whole thing was a waste—”

“A waste?” I shot back. “I’ve got enough to keep me occupied for the next decade, thank you.” It was true, but that didn’t make the prospect of studying human sacrifice sans a human sound any better. Nothing would tell us as much about the Druids as human remains that had, willingly or otherwise, undergone their practices. It may have been more than anyone else expected, but the bar had been set impossibly high. A human discovery might have been the only way to exceed my father’s own discoveries in the Valley of the Kings and earn the same level of respect in my own right.

“All right, all right,” Alex said, contrite. “I didn’t come over here to upset you.”

“Then why are you here?” There was more bite in my voice than I meant, but he had that amused eyebrow raised again, the one that made my anger meaningless and painted me as a silly, wide-eyed novice with dreams of finding the next Tut.

“I thought you might need a refill.” He offered me a cup of coffee.

A gruff ‘thank you’ was all I could manage. My brain had reached maximum capacity for caffeine, but it went down easy. Milk and two sugars, just the way I liked it. Damn.

Sounds intriguing! Can’t wait to find out what happens. 😀

Purchase Links:

Universal Reader link:  https://books2read.com/u/3LKz6w

Publisher link:  http://smarturl.it/CurseCO

Add it to Goodreads or BookBub:   http://smarturl.it/CurseGoodReads

https://www.bookbub.com/books/curse-of-the-amber-by-kathryn-troy

We’ll be sure to get a copy of this time travel/fantasy romance! ♥♥♥

About Kathryn Troy

I’m an historian by day, a novelist and baker by night. I like to write what I read – fantasy, romantic fantasy, gothic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, paranormal, horror, and weird fiction.

Books:

rav

And, if you want to know how to connect with the fascinating Kathryn Troy, here are some author links…

Website/Blog:  http://ladybathoryscloset.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BathorysCloset/

https://www.facebook.com/kathryn.troy

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Kathryn-Troy/e/B06XNJNH7Z

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16571460.Kathryn_Troy

 

Once again, I want to thank Kathryn Troy, the brilliant author of this fantasy romance with a time travel angle, for stopping by! It was a pleasure to have you here! Readers, check out her work! ♥

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Blog Tour Feature: One of a Kind Christmas by Lexi Post

.•*´¨❥¸.•*´¨ NEW RELEASE¸.•*´¨❥¸.•*´¨

The price they must pay for their chance at forever…just might be too high.

I am pleased to announce a cool book blog tour going on right now, presented by Lexi Post, an author I met during my journey! Congratulations on your new, steamy holiday paranormal romance!

When a new book comes out, it is always an exciting time for authors!

Plus, here at the I Love Romance Blog, we love discovering new romance novels!

Let’s hear a little about this great book…

Nice!

This is the blurb for One of a Kind Christmas, A Christmas Carol Series, Book 4:

For her to love him, he must face a spirit, an archangel…and himself.

The spirit of Cameron Douglas has totally screwed-up…again. Now, he has to fix his mess in one night with the help of his best friend and somehow encourage his widow to move on.

Holly Douglas is anguished that this is the last Christmas she’ll be visited by her late husband, Cameron. For three years he’s sent her the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and they‘ve helped her cope with her loss. But now all that ends, and she doesn’t understand why he must push her away.

Ethan Stewart has been in love with Holly since Cameron’s death, but she isolated herself from everyone, including him. Then something changed, and he was welcomed back as her friend. But he wants more— to love her openly, and most of all to make her happy again. Though he loved his best friend like a brother and will do anything for Holly, as he’s pulled into the spirit world, he discovers the price they must pay for their chance at forever…and it just might be too high.

Lexi is giving us a peek at her hot Christmas-themed paranormal romance, One of a Kind Christmas, today.

Great cover!

Book Info:

Genre:  Holiday Romance, Steamy Paranormal Romance

Release Date:  December 5, 2018

Here is an excerpt.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. “I miss Cam. It was as if we were two parts of the same soul. I lived vicariously through him even while I worried constantly about him. It was one of the reasons I was constantly warning him to be careful. I was afraid to lose him.”

Ethan looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. “And then I did.”

She felt as if her heart were breaking all over again, not for her but for Ethan. He was so good to her. He even loved her. And she…

“Ethan, I understand.”

His gaze returned to hers. Though she couldn’t see his face clearly, the limited light reflected off the sheen in his eyes.

She placed her hand on his cheek and rising on her toes brushed her lips across his in a feather-light kiss. She only meant to give comfort, but a spark of something else hit her heart.

She remained there, her lips close to his but not touching, wanting more but afraid to ask.

Ethan remained absolutely still, his breath mixing with her own.

He loved her but would never push her. It wasn’t his nature. She could walk away right now, but to what?

Nothing.

She stared at his mouth in the dim light. She wanted to live again. She wanted to feel again. Tilting her head, she pressed her lips more firmly against his, moving her hand down his stubbled jaw and behind his neck to pull him closer.

Ethan’s lips opened, and she slipped her tongue between them.

As his arms came around her, it was like waking from a dream. A slow burn flowed through her veins as he took control of the kiss and explored her mouth with his tongue. It was an unhurried exploration and heat built in her belly. When he pulled back to lick the underside of her top lip, she took her first deep breath. As she exhaled, tingles spread throughout her body.

He kissed the corners of her mouth before leaning his forehead against her own. “Ye catch my blood on fire, lass.”

Purchase Links:

Universal reader link:   https://books2read.com/u/mvKdGj

OMG! Love it. ♥♥♥

Ooh…it sounds like a sexy, seasonal tale with a touch of paranormal! Right up my alley!😉

Lexi is giving away a $25 gift card. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter. Please use the link below to enter. Don’t forget you have a chance to enter every day, so be sure to visit all the stops on this tour. You may find those locations here.

Giveaway Link:  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/801c221b84/

Thank you for telling us about your new paranormal holiday romance, Lexi! I know I can’t wait to read this hot novel! 🙂

Readers, don’t forget to pre-order a copy of this awesome book! Or add it to your Goodreads list!

And catch the other books in the series! For example, book one, Pleasures of Christmas Past, is on sale for just 99 cents!

Jessica is assigned a hot, Scottish mentor who confuses her heart. But will he protect her soul?

Woo hoo! 😀 Fanning myself over here.

Oh, don’t forget books two and three…

Desires of Christmas Present

Sometimes not knowing is better…for everyone.

Temptations of Christmas Future

He set out to prove the future was far worse than she imagined. Now he wished it wasn’t.

These look great! ♥ We’ll be sure to check them all out! Don’t miss the giveaway!

Author Bio

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she’s read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi’s first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. From hot paranormals to sizzling cowboys to hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”
Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.

Author Links

Website:  http://www.lexipostbooks.com/

Newsletter:  https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/c1w1g3

Blog:  http://www.happilyeverafterthoughts.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lexipostbooks

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LexiPost

Amazon Author Page:  http://amzn.to/1IEL2cc

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6915542.Lexi_Post

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/lexipostbooks/

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/lexipost77/

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lexi-post

Don’t miss new releases:  https://books2read.com/author/lexi-post/subscribe/1/16171/

 

Thank you for telling us about your great book tour! I know readers can’t wait to get ahold of this sizzling holiday-themed paranormal romance!

Thanks again to Lexi and her blog tour sponsor!

We hope to see you back on ILRB sometime. 

Happy reading, everyone!  ♥♥♥

Top Historical Romance Books We Can’t Stop Reading: a guest post by Dating Connections

Top Historical Romance Books We Can’t Stop Reading

 

Whether you’re in a biker dating rut and need some way to keep things interesting, or are a bookworm that’ll read anything and everything, today we present a short yet comprehensive list of historical romance books that are a true hit with their readership!

Javier García, Flickr

Mostly set in England, these novels will keep you on your toes much like Pride & Prejudice – you know Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth have to get together in the end, but it’s all so complicated that it seems impossible! ♥

#1: Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

The story of Claire Randall is set in the Scottish Highlands just after WWII. A combat nurse just back from the war, Claire is reunited with her husband, but soon finds herself as a Sassenach – an ‘outlander’ in a war-torn Scotland when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Claire discovers that her only chance to stay safe depends on Jamie Fraser, a handsome young soldier who steals her heart. She must find her way through the world of danger, passion, and violence as she is trying to reconcile two irreconcilable lives. One of the most popular historical romances (with a time travel slant) on Goodreads with a score of 4.22 out of 5 based on more than 665,000 ratings, Outlander is an explicit book that uses descriptive, energizing and highly engaging writing.

#2: Westcott Series by Mary Balogh (Someone to Love)

The death of Humphrey Westcott, Earl of Riverdale, leaves behind a fortune and a secret he had kept for so long – a daughter no one ever knew he had. Anna Snow, who grew up as an orphan, learns her father was the late Earl of Riverdale, and she stands to inherit a fortune, but her siblings want nothing to do with her. When the new Earl’s guardian becomes interested in Anna, he assists her with the transformation from an orphan to a lady, stepping in to rescue her only to find himself vulnerable to the feelings he has kept hidden for so long. Someone to Love is the 5^th book in a series, but good as a stand-alone as well as evidenced by its rating of 3.8 on Good Reads and plenty of praise.#3: The Hathaways Series by Lisa Kleypas (Mine Till Midnight)

When Amelia Hathaway discovers she’s about to inherit a fortune and find herself in London society, she realizes that tending to her two younger siblings is far easier than navigating the ways of the aristocracy. Matters are further complicated when she falls for a tall, dark, and handsome Cam Rohan, who’s unfathomably rich and tired of society’s petty restrictions. He offers only friendship when Amelia reaches out to him for help, but both are soon tempted by the desire that blindsides them both. Mine Till Midnight scored 4.08 out of more than 50,000 ratings on Goodreads, and it’s perfect for anyone who can’t resist love at first sight!#4: The Brothers Sinister Series by Courtney Milan (The Duchess War)

Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled girl who tries hard not to get anyone’s attention. The last time she was at the center of things she had to change her name to escape her scandalous past. Hence, when a handsome duke comes into town, the last thing she wants is to catch his eye, which is precisely what happens. But Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is no fool, and quickly realizes there is much more to Minnie than she lets on, and once things get heated he discovers that this little shy girl could prove to be more than he can handle. Beloved by its readership with a Goodreads rating of just under 4, The Duchess War is a must for anyone looking for steamy historical fiction.#5: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

No list on the most popular historical romance books would ever be complete without Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. One of the most popular novels in this genre, Pride and Prejudice tells a story of incredibly stubborn Elizabeth Bennett, one of five sisters who must marry rich to secure their status, who meets just as incredibly arrogant and rich beyond measure Mr. Darcy. Filled with humorous dialogue, this story of courtships draws readers in with inconceivable force, and delivers a very satisfying finale to the delight of all. With more than 2 million ratings on Goodreads, and a score of 4.25 out of 5, even its old English in which it is written can’t take away from the intrigue and the narrative that are absolutely breathtaking.

#6: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Although depicting some historical accuracy peppered with a little drama for good measure, Phillipa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl is a compelling historical novel about two sisters fighting for the affection of the same man, Henry the VIII. When Mary is set off to his court at a tender age of 14, she catches the eye of the powerful king and is soon swept off her feet thanks to his genuine infatuation with her. However, Mary soon realizes she’s a pawn in her family’s scheme to move up the social ladder, and as the king’s interest in her fades, she must step aside for her best friend and mighty rival – her sister Anne. With 4.05 out of 5 on Goodreads, The Other Boleyn Girl is highly praised by its readers for making history so much fun and addictive to read.

Yuri Efremov, Unsplash

Wow! What a great sampling of historical romance books!

Thank you, Dating Connections, for such great tips for our reading lists! ♥♥♥

Guest Blogger Bio

Dating Connections is a site that offers the opportunity for you to explore a variety of dating tips, previous relationship experiences and interact with other people!

Links

Website:  http://datingconnections.org/

Blog:  http://datingconnections.org/category/blog/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/datingconnections/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BoyanUlv

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/101423157749445118069

 

Thanks again! We hope to see you back on ILRB sometime. 

As always, happy reading, everyone! 😉 Have a great weekend!

63 FREE Romance Books!!

Hi, readers! I wanted to pop in here today to let you know about a very cool, mega giveaway going on over at the Writing in the Modern Age blog this week. Among other genres, 63 romance novels are available.All you have to do to enter the contest is comment on the thread with all your genre preferences as well as a contact email, and you’ll have 164 chances to win books! Awesome, right?

Here is a list of some of the books offered. They’re in no particular order, but I’ve included the subgenres so you know how varied the giveaway is.

Sports Romance

Paranormal Thriller with Romantic Elements

 

Mystery Romance with Horror

Multicultural Romance

Historical Romance

Paranormal Romance

Science Fiction Romance

Erotic Romance

Romantic Comedy

Holiday Romance

Romantic Suspense

Contemporary Romance

Romantic Thriller

 

Western Romance

 

LGBT Romance

Time Travel Romance

YA Romance

Inspirational Romance

Fantasy Romance

This contest is exciting! There are swag prizes too! 🙂 If you’d like to participate, please jump on Writing in the Modern Age to put in your entry (you can also email me directly at marieannlavender@gmail.com with the subject heading ‘Early Autumn Giveaway entry’, in case you’re a little shy about including your personal info).

The giveaway will run until Friday at midnight EST, but winners won’t be chosen until the weekend.

http://marielavender.blogspot.com/2017/09/400th-anniversary-post-early-autumn-mega-book-giveaway.html

So, why not go for it? These are FREE books! You won’t be sorry! 😉

As always, happy reading, everyone! 😀

New Release Feature: Druid’s Portal: The First Journey by Cindy Tomamichel

I am pleased to announce a great book release by Cindy Tomamichel, an author I met during my journey! Her time travel romance, Druid’s Portal, officially released this week! Yay! That’s awesome!

Congrats on your new release! 😉

When a new book comes out, it’s always an exciting time for an author!

Cindy is giving us a look at her “timey wimey” (Yes, I’m a Doctor Who nerd) romance, Druid’s Portal: The First Journey, today.

Cool cover!

This is the blurb for Druid’s Portal:

A portal closed for 2,000 years.

An ancient religion twisted by modern greed.

A love that crosses the centuries.

An ancient druid pendant shows archaeologist Janet visions of Roman soldier Trajan. The visions are of danger, death, and love—but are they a promise or a curse?

Her fiancé Daman abandons her before the wedding, her beloved museum is ransacked, and a robed man vanishes before her eyes. Haunted by visions of a time she knows long gone, Janet teeters on the edge of a breakdown.

In the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall and 2,000 years back in time, Janet’s past and present collide. Daman has vowed to drive the invaders from the shores of Britain and march his barbarian hordes to Rome. Trajan swears vengeance against the man who threatens both his loves—Janet and the Empire.

Time is running out—for everyone.

And here is an excerpt from Druid’s Portal: The First Journey to tease you with.

“Sister, may I speak with you? I’ve been having dreams, visions of the past.”

“And these worry you, my dear?”

“Yes, I’m afraid . . .”

“That you’re losing your mind?” the gentle nun smiled. “Janet, my dear child, you’re perhaps too sane for your own good. What you have experienced has made you strong, but you ignore the truth of your heart. Perhaps these visions are your heart talking to you.”

“My heart?” stammered Janet, thinking of Trajan.

“There are many mysteries in these dark forests that science struggles to explain. People born here have the weight of history and the forest secrets in their bones. This is your heritage, too, to see things that may be hidden. But one mystery is hope. Your heart hopes and yearns for love, despite the pain inflicted by Daman. The human heart—your own heart—is a mystery.” She placed her hand gently on Janet’s shoulder. “Maybe it is time you listened to yours. Follow where it leads you.”

Purchase Links:

Universal Amazon link:  https://bookgoodies.com/a/B071LBLQ1G

Wow! Love the emotional struggle here. ♥♥♥

Thank you for telling us about your book, Cindy! I know I can’t wait to read this romance! 🙂

Readers, don’t forget to pick up a copy of this awesome book!

Author Bio

Cindy Tomamichel is a writer of action adventure romance novels, spanning time travel, sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal genres. They all have something in common – sword fights! The heroines don’t wait to be rescued, and the heroes earn that title the hard way.

Cindy’s recent published work includes winning a fractured fairy tale competition with a twist on the Rapunzel story. The fundraising event Madwomen Monologues has presented two of her monologues on stage. She also has poetry and short stories in two anthologies by Rhetoric Askew.

Author Links

Website:  www.cindytomamichel.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CindyTomamichelAuthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CindyTomamichel

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Cindy-Tomamichel/e/B07148BH5Y/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16194822.Cindy_Tomamichel

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/+CindyTomamichel

Thanks again, Cindy! We hope to see you back on ILRB sometime. 

Happy reading, everyone!🙂

A to Z Reflections

As some of you may already know, I put myself to the A to Z Challenge for blogging during the month of April.

Basically, it required participating bloggers to do a post every day focusing on each letter of the alphabet. Sundays were the only excluded days. As you can imagine, this was a lot of work.

So, what really compelled me to take on this challenge? Well, I have to give my talented author friend, Devika Fernando, some credit here. Last year, she took on the challenge with her blog and absolutely nailed it. Check out one of her posts here!

Therefore, this year it was with courage and a bit of fear that I said, sure, what the hell…I’ll try it too. I decided to use a rating system for each book I covered, almost like a book review but not quite the same.

To make a long story short, the experience was actually fun! 🙂 I not only got to revisit some titles on my shelf I hadn’t looked at for awhile, I also found some new books I wanted to try.

I hope you found some interesting reads as well. If you missed my A to Z Challenge posts, here they are in order:

 

–  Awakening the Fire by Ally Shields

– Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

– Courting the Countess by Barbara Pierce

– Devil’s Embrace and Devil’s Daughter by Catherine Coulter

– Elsewhere by Linda Lee Williams

– Face the Fire by Nora Roberts

– Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare

– Heart of Gold by J.R. Ward

– Identity by Cleo Scornavacca

– Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts

– The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts

– Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward

– Martha’s Way Series by Mika Jolie

– No Longer A Stranger by Joan Johnston

– One Illicit Night by Sophia James

– Playing with Fire by Devika Fernando

– Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

– Raising Landry by Andee Michelle

– Sisters of the Night by Linda Lee Williams

– To Tempt A Scotsman by Victoria Dahl

– Unhallowed Ground by Heather Graham

– Victory Lane by Shelly Davis

– Weather the Storm by Jean Ferris

– X-Treme Dating by Cathy McDavid

– You Make Me Feel Brand New by Chicki Brown

– Zenith Rising by Marilyn Campbell

 

Perhaps you’ll find some interesting romance books in there, ranging from contemporary to historical, paranormal to fantasy, comedy to multicultural, even a time travel/science fiction. It was so much fun to participate in the A to Z Blogging Challenge, to see your comments and interact with you (many thanks for the shares and reblogging!), and to check out other bloggers’ sites who were part of the challenge. Here is a full list of the 1,348 participants this year. And to do my part, here are some links to a few other blogs from the April A to Z Challenge:

The Novel Orange – Reading (And Other Stuff) With A Twist

Writer’s Crossings

Lily Element

The Book Wrangler

Books for Thought

 

Thanks again for sticking it out with me during the challenge. I’m always happy to see some friendly faces around here. Please stay tuned for future posts on any random thoughts about love, articles or advice on romantic relationships…

and, as always – our favorite topic – learning about new romance authors and their book releases!

Have a wonderful May, everyone! 😀

A to Z Challenge: Zenith Rising by Marilyn Campbell

As you probably already know by now, I put myself to the A to Z Challenge for blogging this past month.

For these posts, I gave an I Love Romance Blog score, not an official review, for books currently on my shelf at home (I know readers must wonder what books inspires us as authors) or ones that were on my TBR list (what I wanted to read so bad I couldn’t stand it!). For each book, I gave the blurb, a few lines from the text, then why I liked the book or why I wanted to read it. And for fun, I gave a heart rating! ♥

This was my scoring system:

I hope these A to Z Challenge suggestions helped you find a new favorite author, or further cemented your love for one, if that’s the case.

Let’s jump into our final book, shall we?

Zenith Rising by Marilyn Campbell

Genre: Erotic Time Travel Romance

Blurb:

Maggie Harrison’s temp assignment sounds glamorous. As assistant to bestselling author Noah Nash, she’ll be staying in his penthouse suite at the legendary Davenport Hotel. However, Maggie is more interested in whether Noah will remember her from high school.Tales of ghosts and paranormal activity enticed Noah to set his next book in the Davenport, but his reason for hiring Maggie is entirely personal. He hopes the old spark can be fanned into a new flame. What happens between them is more like a raging wildfire.Their passionate reunion takes an even wilder turn when they’re suddenly transported to the Roaring Twenties, when the new hotel sparkled like champagne in a speakeasy…and several murders went unsolved. For Maggie and Noah to return home, they must prevent one of those deaths—but first they need to figure out which one.

A few choice lines from the book:

“So you’re saying fate had something to do with my being here today, with you.”

“It’s the only explanation that makes sense. I had an idea for a new book called Hotel Hellgate. One of those ‘you can check in but can’t check out’ stories.” He noted how she wrinkled her nose and laughed. “I take it you’re not a fan.”

“Sorry. It’s not you. It’s the genre.”

He shook his head. “Not a problem. I actually requested an assistant who wasn’t a huge fan. Anyway, after doing a lot of research about haunted hotels, I decided the Davenport had everything I was looking for but I had to wait five months to get a long-term reservation in this suite.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard they stay pretty booked up. Wait. Why this suite?”

“The founder, Robert Davenport, put a bullet through his brain here in 1930. At least that was the official ruling. The family always insisted foul play was involved. But this suite isn’t the only supposedly haunted place. There were a number of other unsolved deaths and disappearances in other parts of the hotel property. Plus there were thousands killed around here during the 1928 hurricane. And for a while during World War II this place was used as a hospital and not all the patients survived. In other words, if ghosts really do hang around, it seems probable this could be a good place to find them.”

“I’ve heard stories but I’m not sure I believe any of them.”

“I have no interest in proving or disproving those stories. I just figured it would make the perfect backdrop for mine. Anyway, when it got close to time for me to come here and get started, my assistant was too far along in her pregnancy to be away from her husband and home. I asked the hotel to send me five résumés to review. When I saw your name…” He remembered feeling his heart leap in his chest and excitement race through his bloodstream. “Well, I checked it out, confirmed you were the Maggie Harrison who helped me pass biology one year and told them to give you the job. If that’s not fate stepping in, I don’t know what else you could call it.”

“Synchronicity?”

He grinned. “Same difference. Point is, we were meant to get together again and I’m really looking forward to working with you. It’ll be like old times.” He was actually hoping it would be nothing like those days but that would have to be up to her.

“Okay, I’m sold. Only, can I ask one favor?”

His eyes widened. “Uh-oh. I seem to remember the last favor was a pretty big one.” That left me with a constant hard-on for an entire school year. “I’ve never been sure we came out even on that one.”

She gave him a little punch to his shoulder. “Smartass. This is a little request. Please don’t ever call me Sugarlips again.”

He grabbed her hand. “Only if you’ll stop punching me.”

“Deal,” she said with a giggle and gave him a quick peck on the mouth. Instantly she jerked away, looking more shocked than he felt. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t…it just seemed…”

He leaned toward her, stopping an inch from her mouth and waited for her to retreat farther but she didn’t move. He could feel her breath exiting in tiny puffs from her parted lips. He lightly touched his lips to hers, giving her a chance to object but instead she sighed into his mouth. It was all the encouragement he needed. His mouth slanted over hers, urging her lips apart so he could taste the sweetness he remembered.

Her arms snaked around his neck and he pulled her into a full embrace, the way he had only once before but thought of countless times. His fingers traced the line of her neck and down her arm. She was all silk and heat, melting in his hands. She was no longer the pretty high school girl. She was one hundred percent woman now. But she was still Maggie.

He stroked her tongue with his and she sucked him deeper as she repositioned herself to be cradled in his arms. Her hands suddenly seemed to be all over him at once as though she didn’t know where she wanted to touch. He had wanted her as a horny teen. But that was nothing compared to the inferno of need she was raising in the man. His erection strained against his jeans and when her fingers brushed over it, he thought he would explode right then. He needed her to release the beast, hold it in her soft hands and take it into her body. But he also needed it to be her desire. His hand cupped her breast and found the puckered nipple. What more did he need?

Abruptly her hand covered his and held it still as her whole body stiffened. “Wait. This is crazy. Noah, please…”

It took a moment for his body to catch up with her words. It took several more seconds for him to take his hand off her breast and take a deep breath. “Do I need to apologize?” he asked quietly.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Absolutely not. That was my fault. I broke our rule.” As gracefully as she could, she eased away and returned to her own space on the couch without looking at him.

He gave her chin a gentle nudge with his crooked index finger. “Hey. C’mon, Sugarlips. Talk to me. Tell me it’s too fast. Or you’re committed elsewhere. Or even you never mix business and pleasure. But don’t try to convince me you weren’t caught up in that as much as I was. And by the way, the ‘no kissing’ rule was never a good one.”

She slowly raised her eyelids. “Okay. It’s way too fast. Mixing business with pleasure is a really bad idea. And the rule was a good one. It was necessary. And considering what just happened, it still is. I’m very happy to see you again but I’m here to do a job, not…”

He waited for her to finish saying what she was not here to do but she just left it hanging. Meanwhile he was hanging on the fact she did not say she was committed elsewhere. He had thought the memory of the pain she had caused him would be enough to stave off any lingering desire but apparently neither memories nor time could keep him from banging his head against the same old brick wall. “You’re right. It was all your fault.” He winked at her and got a raised fist warning in return. “You were also right about having a job to do. I was thinking we could go over what I expect from you and some of my work habits first.”

Her demeanor changed from friend to professional in an instant. “Perfect. I’ll just get my notebook.”

As she headed for her room he said, “Let’s talk over dinner. Would you prefer the restaurant or room service?”

She glanced back over her shoulder and arched one brow at him. “I think leaving this room for a few hours would be the wiser option. Then we can come back here and pretend the last fifteen minutes never happened.”

“Swell,” he mumbled to himself. “We’re back to pretending.”

My Score:

Ooh…love the tension here! 🙂

I adore any time travel romance story, and I couldn’t resist adding this one to my Wishlist when I saw it! Also, knowing it’s from Ellora’s Cave, I expected it to be sexy and I was right!

It sounds fascinating, with a touch of paranormal and mystery. And who doesn’t like the Roaring Twenties? I can’t wait to find out what kind of trouble Maggie and Noah get into! And I just love a second chance romance. 😉

I give this one five hearts, for what looks like a fun ride!

By the way, this is book one of the Crystal Island Series.

Well…that wraps up the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. This was a lot of fun! 🙂

Stay tuned to the I Love Romance Blog for future posts about romantic relationships and romance novels! Feel free to follow my alternate blogs, Marie Lavender’s Books! and Writing in the Modern Age, where you can always catch past, present and future posts about writing, guest authors, new releases and other cool info! Check out my author website here to learn more about me and my books. You can also subscribe to my monthly newsletter here, to keep apprised of everything.

Have a wonderful rest of your April and an even better May! 😀

Free Romance Books!

Readers, I wanted to direct you to a huge giveaway of books by different authors, which is hosted on my alternate blog, Writing in the Modern Age. It runs until Saturday evening and the giveaway is Halloween-themed, so if you like either paranormal romance, romantic suspense or time travel romance with a bit of mystery thrown in, you’re in for a treat! And the list goes on in case you read other types of genres!

Also, you know I love romance so I can’t resist telling you about it. Scary and lighthearted books await you on the blog…

You can find the giveaway here:  http://marielavender.blogspot.com/2015/10/halloween-extravaganza-multi-author-book-giveaway-WritModAge.html

Or at the shortened URL here:  http://bit.ly/1ZHmrss

Don’t forget to leave a comment on the Writing in the Modern Age Halloween giveaway post (tell what you like to read and how to contact you), and you’ll be entered into this mega giveaway with over 135 opportunities to win! Yay!  🙂

Remember: there’s a limited time on the giveaway as it ends on Saturday night.

Happy hunting! Or romance reading, as it were…;)

4th Anniversary Party at TRR!

The Romance Reviews is having their 4th Anniversary Party this month. All month long, you can stop by their site and win cool prizes!

The event started on March 1st and will run ALL month long so hurry, get in there and compete for prizes! With more than 350 participating authors and publishers, and more than 350 prizes up for grabs during the whole month of March, plus a $100 Gift Certificate as a grand prize, you just can’t go wrong!

Here is the event page:  http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php

To compete for prizes, you will need to register and be logged into the TRR site. Registering is painless, I swear, and this site gives you access to lots of great books!

Here is the prize list:  http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php?prize=1 And this is not even the entire list! How great is that? Each book will have a simple Q&A with instructions to compete for the prize and you will be contacted if you win. Woo hoo!

And, on March 11th, you also get a chance to win my latest release, Second Nature, book one of the Blood at First Sight Series! Yay!  🙂

So, stop by today, and every day whenever you have a moment. But, especially stop by on March 11th for a copy of Second Nature! I’m excited about this! Aren’t you?  🙂

“Can you resist romance?” Dual Blog Multi-Author Book Giveaway

 “Can You Resist Romance?” Dual Blog Giveaway

 

Most readers of this blog are probably like me. They love romance! And what better time to celebrate romance than around Valentine’s Day? With the flowers and chocolates, the jewelry and cards, and even the personal gifts from your honey make the day a little sweeter. As you already know about me, I found it somewhat natural to combine my love of “love” with my love of books and writing.

Well, it has happened again! This time, we’ve combined our efforts with the Writing in the Modern Age blog to give the best romance giveaway ever! Forty-one authors teamed up with our two blogs, and with an offering of over 150 donations, you can’t exactly go wrong with that. This also goes along with the I Love Romance Blog’s one year anniversary. So, it’s all very exciting!

In keeping with our romance theme, and just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re hosting a dual blog book giveaway here and on Writing in the Modern Age. Readers can leave a comment at the end of the post about their preferred genres or romance subgenres, and the best contact email to reach them on. We promise not to spam, and will only contact you if you won a prize.

“What’s the catch, Marie?”

No catch. We simply want to reach people in the best way we know how, and why not do it through a book giveaway? Also, who doesn’t like a little romance in their fiction? 😉

As aforementioned, the rules are fairly simple. Just leave us a comment! Give us your preferred subgenres of romance (feel free to say if there’s one you don’t like), and we also need a way to reach you in order to send your prize along. Give us your best contact email. It is very hard for me to hunt people down via social networking to inform them that they won a prize so do give us a way to reach you. Also, please don’t list just one book title you want from the list. That’s not fair to other readers who might want to compete for a prize as well. You can, however, tell us if you already have one of the books in the list. Give us a good variety for your genres! You may discover a new favorite author!  🙂

The participating authors in the event are talented, lovely people whom I am lucky to have run into during my author journey. Thank you all for donating these wonderful prizes! I couldn’t have done this without you.

Readers, below I have included a list of the donations, as well as links to the authors’ Amazon pages so that you can learn a little more about them. We are so happy that you stopped by the I Love Romance Blog today to take a look at this special giveaway. The contest will run for a full week. After that, winners will be chosen. Enjoy!

 

 

Here is our full list of donations:

Prize #1

Title:  The Brede Chronicles, Book 1

Author:  P.I. Barrington

Format:  paperback

Number of copies:  3

Genre:  Sci-fi/romance

Blurb:  Half-human Alekzander Brede is a law unto himself…or so he thinks. Elektra Tate, the street orphan who loves him has other ideas. When she betrays him for no apparent reason, he vows to punish her one way or another. Taking the one thing she treasures most—their son—begins a cat and mouse relationship spanning two planets and costing possibly his life. Elektra will stop at nothing to save her son but can she overcome Brede’s twisted idea of vengeance?

Prize #2

Title:  Destiny of Kings 

Author:  Fiona Tarr

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  5

Genre:  historical fantasy with some romance

Blurb:  The King is going slowly mad, bewitched by the dark magic and seductive powers of the Egyptian Princess Jezebel.
Martinez, the King’s general, must choose between the life of a young shepherd boy who is like the son he never had or the man who is his King and lifelong friend.
The One True God has shared a prophecy with the old seer Samuel, while the little Holy man Narayana claims the Universe has called him out of meditation to restore balance.
Francesca, the Priestess, carries the burden of responsibility until her faith is rocked, her heart opened and her resolve challenged.
Inspired by authors such as David Gemmell & Raymond E Feist; where each novel is a self contained story within an interconnecting series.

Prize #3

Title: Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2: Lacto Ovo Vegetarian Recipes

Author:  Belinda Y. Hughes

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  cookbook (for romantic dinner)

Blurb:  Kids eating veggies with enthusiasm? Husbands eating meatless and loving it? Menopausal women thinking clearly again? What’s going on here?
Discover healthy vegetarian recipes for biscuits, omelets, oatmeal, beans, pasta, potatoes, rice, sandwiches and desserts/snacks. Empower your kids to eat healthier and become more self sufficient in the kitchen. Fruity Patooty Burrito is a quick and easy after-school snack your kids can assemble themselves from pre-chopped ingredients and seasonings kept within easy reach. Ease the ups and downs of menopause with Kiss Your Brain Biscuits, featuring soy flour.
You’ll also get vegetarian nutrition tips from my team of international experts: Rebecca Subbiah, RDN (UK & USA), EmmaCarder, RD (UK), Lauren O’Connor, RD (USA), Cynthia Strawson, MSc, Nutrition & Metabolism (Canada), Dan Hanley of The Gay Vegans blog (USA) and Andrea Zeichner of Cook Easy Vegan blog (USA).
So dive in, the food is just right!

Prize #4

Title:  I Love Your Cupcakes

Author:  Olga Núñez Miret

Format:  ebook (mobi or epub)

Number of copies:  2 

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  If you are nuts about TV cookery programs and think chocolate is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, keep reading…

I Love Your Cupcakes is a “sweet” romance, a virtual fantasy high in calories and a fun adventure. Dare to give it a bite!
Dulce, Adelfa and Storm, the protagonists of I Love Your Cupcakes are business partners, friends and share some “interesting” family connections. All the men Dulce meets only ever talk about her cakes and she’s tired of it. Her friend Adelfa, although she’s a Chemistry Professor, can’t manage to find the recipe for the perfect relationship. And Storm, the third of the partners of their bakery/coffee shop/bookshop/art gallery and ex-fire station, is an artist who is not a master in the art of love. How could they imagine that at the studio of the contest “Do You Have What it Takes to Be the Next Baking Star?” they’d find sexual harassment, cheats, fights and also love?
With dogs, fire trucks, London double-decker buses, school buses, artists, chemists, engineers, architects, intrigue, scandals, bigamy, and lots and lots of desserts… I Love Your Cupcakes is a romantic comedy with a sweet heart. You will find baddies, crooks, goodies, odd balls and flawed but endearing characters. More than anything I can promise you good humor, friendship, smiles, sense of community, heart and plenty of cakes. Try it! I’m sure you won’t be able to stop once you give it a bite!
I hope you come to love Dulce, Adelfa, Storm and their friends as much as I do. And if that is the case, please let me know. I wouldn’t mind writing some more adventures about them and baking more cakes!

Prize #5

Title:  Click Me Happy!

Author:  Olga Núñez Miret

Format:  ebook (mobi or epub)

Number of copies:  2 

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Do you believe in love at first sight or first click? Do you think your life should be a romantic novel? Would you like to be able to choose the ending? If you’ve answered YES to any of these questions or feel intrigued by them, this novel offers you a unique opportunity. You can choose what kind of ending you want: unhappy, happy or neutral.

Lilith, the protagonist, does not believe in all that ‘romantic nonsense’. When her boss and friend, Debbie, asks her to create a digital books section for the library where they both work she triggers a series of events that shake all of Lilith’s strongly held beliefs.
Her dislike for social networking is put to the test and despite her love for privacy and technological naïveté she manages to make a number of virtual connections. The most interesting one, without a question, is Zane, a talented and attractive author and painter. Their friendship quickly develops into something else. But, what exactly? Lilith doesn’t have a clue.
A bet with Rowena, her childhood best-friend, offers her an opportunity to test her feelings for Zane and their relationship and a meeting, ‘real’ this time, is organised in the gorgeous setting of Bermuda.

At that point, you, the reader, have the choice. Do you want the story to end up happy ever after? Do you think there’s no chance for them? Or maybe you believe that there has to be more to life than romantic stories and a neutral ending or new beginning is more true to life? You can pick and choose your ending, or you can read all of them and choose your favourite, or even create your own and let me know. I’d love to hear from you! (I leave you links to contact me at the end.) Don’t be strangers!

Prize #6

Title:  No Distance Between Us

Author:  Young 

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  4

Genre:  memoir/gay historical romance (1960s)

Blurb:  This provocative story is about a young man who was initiated into a clandestine sexual society. He was spirited to the Middle East, from his UK boarding school. He attended the Bahriji School (Oasis,) in The United Arab Emirates in preparation for serving in Harems for the wealthy and elite.
It is also a love story between the young man and his ‘Valet’ who served as his chaperone and mentor during the boy’s Harem service.

Prize #7

Title:  The Salty Dog

Author:  Debbie White 

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Libby (a big-city girl) and Luke (the big dreamer) give up the city life to move to a small fishing village, where he buys and operates a commercial fishing boat and she runs a small diner that the locals love. The two of them are determined to live out his dream, when an event even Libby could not have prepared for leaves her running both businesses with the help of a friend. The Salty Dog is about a strong, independent woman who, when faced with hard times, never gives up – even when it comes to love.

Prize #8

Title:  Passport to Happiness

Author:  Debbie White 

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  To escape the often lonely and boring reality of living in a small rural town, Jessica finds comfort in reading about the many places that exist beyond her small corner of the earth. When she joins the State Department and travels abroad looking for adventure, she gets more than she imagined was ever possible. Passport to Happiness is a story of strength and determination, while exploring new places, but it’s also about finding love and happiness – no matter where you hang your hat.

Prize #9

Title:  Wicked Takeover

Author:  Tina Donahue 

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  erotic romance, contemporary

Blurb:  She’s just inherited a tattoo parlor, and the hunk who comes with it.

Lauren’s in a helluva mess. Not only has she lost her corporate job, her long-absent father just left her a struggling tattoo parlor along with the virile dude who runs it. Dante’s sinfully hot with a killer smile and inked biceps. Lauren’s full-figured, sorta pretty and wanting him badly. Dream on. She’s here to sell the place as quickly as possible for some much-needed cash.
Dante sees the heat in Lauren’s eyes despite her conservative appearance. He recognizes the dynamite woman she could be if she’d just loosen up and have some wicked fun. Dominance and submission. Making love in a public place. Having her lush body always accessible to and ready for his.

Prize #10

 

Title:  The Yearning

Author:  Tina Donahue 

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  erotic romance, paranormal

Blurb:  To break this curse, they’ll have to turn the heat up. Way up.

Jasmine Dante prowls Key West’s nightlife, fighting a losing battle against a jealous rival’s curse that forces her to seek carnal pleasure, no matter the danger. Weakened from lack of sleep, driven by insatiable lust, she spots a man who stirs her desperate craving, and begins yet another dance of seduction.
Except the dark stranger who returns her direct stare is no ordinary lover. Inside his powerful body lies a raw sexuality that just might be enough to break her curse. There’s only one way to find out: imprison him in her bed and feed on his passion.
Former U.S. Marshal Mike Stearn is many things, but he’s no woman’s sex slave. The deadly telekinetic power he ruthlessly suppresses comes alive again at Jasmine’s touch. Beneath her bold, potent sensuality he senses vulnerability and desperation. He may be in handcuffs, but she’s the one who’s enslaved.
As Mike resurrects his power to free himself so he can find the curse’s source and defeat it, Jasmine revels in his masterful rule. Her ravenous yearning evolves into rapture as she surrenders to his hunger, her darkest needs—and the emotional connection that lies beyond. Unless the curse takes her life first…

 

Warning: Tons of steamy sex, smoldering passion and a to-die-for love story with a hot Alpha hero who finds himself imprisoned by one sultry and desperate babe.

Prize #11

Title:  SiNN

Author:  Tina Donahue 

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  erotic romance, romantic suspense

Blurb:  She’s every man’s carnal fantasy…and the target of one’s revenge.At a gentleman’s club, Lea dances as SiNN, her body bared and vulnerable to her male partner, her features hidden behind a mask. To the men watching, she’s a sensual enigma, submissive and seductive with no face, name or history. Not even Lea knows her real origins. But a man from the past does, and he wants her dead.Not on the watch of U.S. Marshals Jake Gabriel and Toby Quinn. Commanding and decisive, Jake not only wants Lea’s safety, but to have her naked and yielding beneath him. To Toby, she’s all he should resist but cannot. Protected by them at a secluded estate, Lea’s drawn to their potent masculinity and raw lust. Inviting desire and an emotional connection, she submits to both, surrendering to their shameless hunger along with her own wanton needs.All while a killer edges closer…

Prize #12

Title: Confounding Cupid

Author:  Susan Mac Nicol

Format:  ebook (mobi, PDF or epub)

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  Valentine’s romance

Blurb:  Coworkers Leigh and Ryan are perfect for each other, but why should that make things any easier for Gerald, a hapless Cupid-in-training eager to earn his wings?

Prize #13

Title:  Cassandra by Starlight

Author:  Susan Mac Nicol

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  A London woman is swept off her feet into the glamorous yet surprisingly dangerous world of an up-and-coming star of stage and screen.
TO CATCH A RISING STAR
Unconventional though she may be, Cassandra Wallace leads the life of an average Londoner, from blind dates to rush hour traffic. Then, along comes Bennett Saville. Charming, erudite, the up-and-coming actor is like the hero of a romantic movie. He sets Cassie afire like he has the stage and screen, and defies the tragedy that brought them together. From the tips of his Armani loafers to their scorching hot first kiss, he’s perfect. Only, he’s ten years younger and from the upper class, and those emerald eyes invite dangerous secrets. The world is full of hungry leading ladies, and every show must have its villain. Yet a true romance will always find its happy ending.

Prize #14

Title:  Together in Starlight

Author:  Susan Mac Nicol

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  CASSIE & BENNETT, ACT TWO
Bennett Saville is sexy. At the peak of his career, the English star of stage and screen is everything a woman might desire, as fiancée Cassandra Wallace well knows. Together they’ve seen the world, from L.A. to Shangri La, yet shadows persist even in the spotlight. At home they face lust, greed, and ghosts from their pasts—and that’s off stage. There is also “The Val”. The aged London theatre holds a mystery four centuries old, cast in starlight and waiting to be revealed. Intensely personal, impossibly passionate, the play must go on…and Cassie and Bennett must face it together.

Prize #15

Title:  The Scale

Author:  Mika Jolie

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Twenty-seven year old, African-American, Minka Greene has to endure watching her twin sister marry the man she loves. Her weight is up, and her confidence is down. Not exactly the ideal time to meet the real man of her dreams.
The Scale opens in Martha’s Vineyard with Minka attending Keely and Blake’s engagement party at Martha’s Way, the beautiful inn owned and operated by the tall, blond, tattooed man with the piercing blue eyes. It just so happens Jason Montgomery is also Blake’s childhood friend and the best man. Dealing with a whirl of emotions, Minka faints in Jason’s arms.
When she wakes up naked in Jason’s bed after a night of passion, the Vineyard confirmed bachelor struggling with his own demons and the woman filled with self-doubt and pining for another man are joined in an experience that will change their lives.

Prize #16

Title:  Need You Now

Author:  Mika Jolie

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Elementary school teacher Liliana Serrano has never been one to let others determine her future. Whether it’s her pack of three overly protective brothers or her Puerto-Rican, American heritage, she stands on her own. Which is exactly how she entered her arrangement with Adam Aquilani. The hot formula one driver is aloof, detached and not interested in relationship. After a cheating fiancé, no strings attached sex was just what she needed.
Except one year later, they’re still hooking up and things aren’t so clear cut anymore. Especially when a surprise pregnancy enters the picture.
Adam is determined to marry Lily and raise their child as a family. But Lily refuses to settle for anything less than love.
As the two go on a journey of discovering, secrets are revealed, testing the strength of their connection. Can they learn not to give the past the power to define their future?

Prize #17

Title:  Snowburn

Author:  E.J. Frost

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  5

 

Format:  paperback

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  sci-fi romance

Blurb:  I’m the biggest monster on the planet.
Hale Hauser is a Company killer. Perfectly engineered, highly trained, superbly effective. But when ordered to assassinate his own kind, Hale rebels, and the Company buries him in a hole so deep that no one has ever escaped.
After escaping, Hale hides on Kuseros, a backwater Colony on the Deep Frontier. He begins a new life as Sandringham Snow, pilot and smuggler. Hired by Kez, a local runner, to retrieve a box of black-market glands, Hale follows her through the maze of strange loyalties and twisted customs of Kuseros’ underground gangs. In payment, he takes the one thing only a woman can give him, and discovers the one thing his new life is missing.
But Kez has a secret, which will threaten them both. To protect her, Hale must unleash the monster. Can he control the killer inside long enough to discover the truth before it destroys them? Or will he lose everything just as he’s found it?
WARNING: contains graphic violence and explicit sex, including bondage, spanking and paddling.

 

Prize #18

Title:  Neon Blue

Author:  E.J. Frost

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  5

Genre:  paranormal romance

Blurb:  My name is Tsara Elizabeth Faa, and I have a demon problem. A very serious demon problem. My ex-best friend has summoned an incubus, and left me to deal with him. Now he’s after my soul.
Thing is, the more time I spend with him, the more I want to give it to him.

Prize #19

Title:  Upon Your Return

Author:  Marie Lavender

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  historical romance, Victorian

Blurb:  Fara Bellamont has been back in society for a year after leaving Cluny Abbey, where her uncle sent her long ago. When he chooses a suitor for her for marriage, she fears that she will be forced to marry a stranger and live a miserable life.
But, Fara finds herself thrust into an adventure of a lifetime when unforeseen circumstances cause her to place her trust in a strange man for protection. His intervention not only saves her, but puts her in an even more compromising position.
Grant Hill, a trading captain, is enchanted by the young heiress not only because of her beauty, but because she is hardly conventional. Underneath her ladylike exterior lies a tigress. Grant cannot help but offer his protection as she is in need and he is far from immune from her charms.
Fara just never bargained on the passion that she feels for Grant Hill. As events unfold, she must decide whether her desires and the dictates of her heart should trump the rules of society

Prize #20

Title:  Upon Your Honor

Author:  Marie Lavender

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  historical romance, suspense, Victorian

Blurb:  Deception is a dangerous path…
New York City, August, 1891 – Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms. As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be.
Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life. But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.

Prize #21

Title:  Magick & Moonlight

Author:  Marie Lavender

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  romantic fantasy, contemporary

Blurb:  Messing with free will is always a bad idea…
Ethan Hamilton moves to a lazy little town in Oregon, hoping to escape his demons. But, instead he discovers a woman dancing nude in the moonlight. This woman who claims she is a witch dazzles him with her sensual presence. He thinks she’s crazy, but what if she’s not?
Jessie Anderson has been taught that her kind hides who they really are. And she has a problem on her hands. Someone knows her secret and she has to do all she can to protect herself. What other choice does she have? Jessie casts a love spell on a good man, a man with whom she can’t fight her attraction. The spell doesn’t work quite as planned – she ends up falling for Ethan.
To top it off, Ethan’s treatment of her, his “love”, is so addictive. Deep down, she knows the spell will wear off, and yet his feelings seem genuine. It’s just a spell…right?

Prize #22

Title:  Second Nature

Author:  Marie Lavender

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  paranormal romance, urban fantasy

Blurb:  She never expected it…
Desiree Edwards has a problem. She’s been attacked, kidnapped and forced to get along with a vampire of all things. It’s something right out of the story books she reads, or her worst nightmare. But, sometimes he’s not the monster he appears to be. He seems so humanlike that she can’t help it when her emotions betray her, when her body betrays her. To make matters worse, she finds out more about herself than she ever wanted to know.
She was unlike any other…
Alec has a problem. The animal in him wants Desiree. But, so does the man. The more he learns about her, the harder it is to deny what he wants. But, he’s a freak, and she’s just a human. The two species don’t mix that way. Then an old enemy surfaces and Alec is forced to make a choice. His life or hers.
Can Alec’s soul be saved by this unique human? Or will it be far too late?

Prize #23

Title:  Alien Manifesto

Author:  T.W. Embry

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  sci-fi with some romance

Blurb:  When orphaned ex-Navy S.E.A.L. Thomas Scott decides upon a life of crime, he does not expect to be recruited to join an elite Special Forces operation charged with stealing an alien artifact. Especially a mixed-species alien team headed by inter-galactic billionaire Snarth. The close-knit team soon becomes Tom’s family in more senses than one, which complicates matters when the mysterious artifact turns out to hold secrets that may plunge the whole of the known universe into a devastating war…

Prize #24

Title:  Charlotte’s Restrained:  The Accidental Stalker

Author:  Celia Kennedy

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  romantic comedy

Blurb:  Charlotte’s Restrained, a comical fictional tale of what happens when the paths of a celebrity god and a mere mortal collide.
While vacationing, Charlotte has a chance encounter with a celebrity famous for his lead roles in romantic comedies. Unfortunately for Charlotte, lighthearted banter develops into tabloid fodder. With her career, friendships, and new found romance all impacted, Charlotte sets about dealing with the fallout of her fifteen minutes of fame.

Prize #25

Title:  Venus Rising

Author:  Celia Kennedy

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  romantic comedy

Blurb:  Akshaya Bertrand is a Professor of Art History at an elite college in New England. The patina of the ivy league campus is the perfect canvas for the exotic beauty from India. It is also an environment that Akshaya can safely navigate. A small world that she has minimized and made manageable.
Dr. Jared Harrison, a journalist who has been based in the Middle East, has accepted a position as a guest lecturer at the college where Akshaya teaches. Arriving just in time to attend a faculty mixer, he catches a glimpse of Akshaya Bertrand. Immediately, he learns from those who have tried and failed, that the beautiful professor, compared to Lakshmi, Venus and Aphrodite, is an enigma, a seductive sculpture behind a wall of glass.
While searching for a way to slip past her armor and into her life, Jared confronts the images and tragedies imprinted on his psyche by those left behind in the war torn world of the Middle East. Akshaya and Jared find themselves drawn to each other, hoping to find compassion, someone they can expose their inner demons to.
Funding from the college provides an opportunity to combine Akshaya’s love of art with Jared’s resources as a war correspondent. Together, they travel to Afghanistan and India, where both finally face the past that has shaped them and the present that defines them.
Amongst beauty and poverty as well as war and friendship they find the answers to their individual truths.

Prize #26

Title:  Shelton in Love

Author:  Dianne Hartsock

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary gay romance

Blurb:  Shelton’s falling quickly for his sexy roommate, but can he forget the pain of past rejections and give Nevil what they’re both aching for?
Shelton is falling hard for his best friend and roommate, finding Nevil’s dark good looks and moments of gentleness almost impossible to resist. But Nevil is more interested in affairs of the body than the heart. As Shelton’s desire for the man grows, he wonders if he can change Nevil’s mind. But does he even want to? Nevil might not stay, once he learns Shelton’s secret, and then his loneliness would be complete.

Prize #27

Title:  Stuck on Rewind

Author:  Dianne Hartsock

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary gay romance

Blurb:  Can Ashton let go of his jealousy and be the friend and lover that Lance needs?
Ashton has been in love with his best friend for years, watching him grow from a pretty high school boy to the gorgeous erotic dancer at the club where they both work. The problem is that Lance enjoys the attention of a variety of men while Ashton wants him for his very own.
After a day spent denying his attraction for Lance, standing by while their friend Trey openly flirts with him, Ashton decides it’s time to make his move or risk losing his man forever. Once Lance knows how he feels, he’ll realize they should be together. Or is it already too late?

Prize #28

Title:  When I See Your Face

Author:  Devika Fernando

Format:  ebook (PDF, mobi or epub)

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Cathy has had enough. Having run away from her abusive husband, she tries to pick up the broken pieces of her life in a remote village, focusing on her dream to start her own cake business. Finding true love is the last thing on her mind. When she comes face to face with a man who looks exactly like the one she is struggling to forget, life throws the biggest challenge yet at her: Should she give in to his charm and care or is history going to repeat itself?

Prize #29

Title:  Kaleidoscope of Hopes

Author:  Devika Fernando

Format:  ebook (PDF, mobi or epub)

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  High hopes mean big disappointments. Nadia has learned that lesson the hard way. Single, struggling to make ends meet, and hurt by the past, the last thing she needs is another complication. When her new boss – a handsome, secretive widower with a child – moves in next door, their worlds collide. Sweet hopes bloom again, but both of them are burdened by tragic secrets. Should she give love a second chance?

Prize #30

Title:  Sikkiyn

Author:  Chris S. Hayes

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  sci-fi/romance

Blurb:  Captain Johan Larsen is in serious financial trouble. His ship, the Valkyrie, is decades old and falling apart. In a desperate ploy to get the funds he needs, he agrees to a risky but lucrative transport contract. His cargo: an accused assassin en route to trial, to be delivered to the other side of Confederate space, cash on delivery. His money problems will be over once he delivers her alive to her destination—provided that the killers pursuing them don’t succeed and that his passenger doesn’t murder him herself. And then there’s the fact that he’s stupid enough to be falling in love with her.
Okay, so maybe he’s in more than financial trouble.

Prize #31

Title:  Ascent of the Fallen

Author:  Rebecca L. Frencl

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  paranormal romance/urban fantasy

Blurb:  Free will is ever our blessing and our curse . . .

Rue has stood over human souls in judgment as a guard at Hell’s Gate for millennia. He has seen the worst humanity has to offer. In response to his harshness, Heaven’s Princes have sentenced him to life among humanity until he regains his compassion. He finds not only compassion, but love. Now he must choose: his new-found life with humans or return and share his compassion with his brother judges.
He has been dropped feet first into a game between the powers of hell and the might of heaven. He’s a pawn who must choose—temptation or righteousness, mortal love or immortal indulgence? A war is about to begin with earth as the battleground and the souls of humanity as the counters. Rue is the first of heaven’s chosen soldiers, if only he chooses the right path.

Prize #32

Title:  Ribbons of Moonlight

Author:  Rebecca L. Frencl

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  time travel romance

Blurb:  

Emma Sanders:
She’s a damsel in distress—a 20th century miss dragged back to the 18th with no way home and no idea how she got there in the first place.
Connor MacAllister Kane:
He’s the reason she’s in distress–a British highwayman, and a minor noble with not much more to his name than a title and a Robin Hood-like charm who robs the wrong coach.
Now, Captain Nelson Rawlins of His Majesty’s Royal Dragoons, a former childhood friend of Connor’s who sacrificed friendship for duty is on the hunt for the Highwayman and traitors to the crown. The longer Emma stays in Connor’s time, the more she’s drawn to him and drawn into his troubles. She and Connor find themselves struggling to stay one step ahead of the Captain and his corrupt Commander and keep Connor and his roguish cousins from the hangman’s noose. As the Commander’s grip on the countryside tightens, the people need Connor even more, but Rawlins is hot on his trail and there’s a traitor in their midst. Can Emma use her twentieth century wits to keep both Connor and her heart safe?

Prize #33

Title:  Burning Spiral

Author:  Edita A. Petrick

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  3

Genre:  romantic suspense

Blurb:

Blush: This is a suggestive romance (love scenes are not graphic). A trip to the morgue in the middle of the night is routine work for Detective Sergeant Caroline Osych of the Chicago Police Department. The problem is that lately, every murder victim heading for the morgue is a young man named Michael who drives a Japanese import. The killer’s MO is troublesome too—five pounds of flesh vaporized from victims’ chests and a fluorescent map tattoo on their faces are not everyday occurrences. Caroline must deal not only with the string of bizarre murders but a vengeful ex-husband, his alcoholic heiress child bride, a manipulative and sleazy FBI inspector and an enigmatic soldier with sexy blue eyes. The stark realization that the killer is not her contemporary is not nearly as terrifying as the seeping suspicion that the final and ultimate target may be her children, living with their father and his new wife.

Prize #34

Title:  Cold Scheme

Author:  Edita A. Petrick

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  3

Genre:  romantic suspense

Blurb:  

Blush: This is a suggestive romance (love scenes are not graphic). When Meg Stanton walks out of a convenience store to find a dead man sprawled across the hood of her car, she thinks he’s been shot. It’s the worst assumption she’s ever made in her ten-year career as a cop. Forty-eight hours later, a hotel waiter drops dead while serving the CEO of the third largest national bank. Meg suspects the victims are links in some kind of scheme…but she has no idea she is its key element. And then her daughter’s father reappears in her life… Publisher Note: This book was previously published elsewhere.

Prize #35

Title:  Fire Angel

Author:  Susanne Matthews

Format:  ebook (mobi or epub)

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  romantic suspense

Blurb:  A malicious serial killer is out for revenge in Paradise. Using fire as his weapon, he strikes at random, and the bodies are piling up.

Criminal profiler Jake McKenzie has returned from Afghanistan minus a leg and afraid to trust his instincts. When the police ask for his expertise in identifying the killer, he agrees knowing this is his chance to prove he can still do the job.
Sixteen years ago, fiercely independent Alexis Michaels escaped an abusive uncle and a deadly fire to become one of the country’s top fire and arson investigators. Her uncanny ability to put herself in the arsonist’s place is the skill they need to find this maniac. She reluctantly accepts the assignment and returns home to lead the hunt for the killer, knowing she will have to confront the unpleasant memories.
When Jake discovers that his new partner is the girl who haunted his dreams all these years, he finds himself enthralled, but memories of his dead wife make him doubt his emotions. Alexis has few pleasant memories of Paradise, but Jake is one of them. Undeniably drawn to him, she longs for a deeper relationship but believes he isn’t ready to move on yet.

 

Until they catch the killer, they must set aside their conflicted emotions and work together. The clock is ticking, and the killer has made it clear: Alexis is next.
Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors

Prize #36

Title:  Echoes of the Past

Author:  Susanne Matthews

Format:  ebook (mobi or epub)

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  romantic suspense

Blurb:  Born Mohawk, raised white, forensic pathologist Michelle Thomas is trapped between two worlds—this one and the spirit world where the ghosts of those who’ve drowned speak to her. Haunted by crippling nightmares of her own drowning death and erotic dreams of a phantom lover, she strives to make sense of her life. When two suspicious deaths occur at the Lake of the Mountain Resort, she’s sent to investigate. She’ll face the greatest challenge of her career when her past and her present collide. One of these men is her future, but which one—the rich and powerful Mayor Ron Davies, or Tony Steele, the hydrology professor who may be responsible for his students’ deaths? Charged by the spirits of her Mohawk ancestors to atone for her previous sins by protecting Lake of the Gods, can Michelle solve the murders, save the sacred waters, and fulfill her destiny?

Prize #37

Title:  Just for the Weekend

Author:  Susanne Matthews

Format:  ebook (mobi or epub)

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  It’s time to play with the grown-ups.

Kindergarten teacher Cleo James needs a change. Three years at her widowed dad’s beck and call are enough. A weekend in Vegas at a sci-fi convention with her best friend will do for now, and the hot guy who wants to spend time with her only adds to her excitement. After all – it’s just for the weekend. What can possibly go wrong?
Multimillionaire Sam Mason is sick of gold diggers. He’s looking for someone who’ll fall for him, not his wallet. When he meets a shy, green-skinned slave girl, she pushes all his buttons – the best part is she has no idea who he is and mistakenly believes he’s a Chippendale. Between the sexual attraction and too much alcohol, he wakes up married to his green-skinned beauty, but the bride has vanished. Finding her will be a lot harder than he thinks.
Sensuality Level: Sensual

Prize #38

Title:  The Temple of Indra’s Jewel

Author:  Rachael Stapleton

Format:  ebook (epub, mobi or PDF)

Number of copies:  3

Genre:  romantic fantasy/time travel

Blurb:  Sophia Marcil awakens from a snorkeling accident in the Lérins Islands to find herself in the chambers—and the body—of a nineteenth-century princess. In a confused state and with no idea of her whereabouts, Sophia embarks on a desperate quest for answers, hoping she can find her way back to her fiancé, Nick, and her true identity.
After she finds a diary in an antique desk, Sophia follows a clue that leads her to a questionable alchemist, who relays the history and magic of the mysterious amethyst she inherited from her great-grandmother—the only possession that made the leap through time with her and perhaps the only thing that can prevent her from becoming a pawn in a murderous plot for the throne.
Using her inheritance, Sophia races through time to the twenty-first century to solve the mystery of her family’s past. But once she is there, she unearths a dire warning about a curse that clings to her heirloom, leading her down a dangerous path involving two men from different times and ultimately puts her life at risk.
In this tale of obsession, greed and passion, a woman on a journey through time struggles to regain a family heirloom and control its magic, hoping to break the curse before it breaks her.

Prize #39

Title:  The Celtic Knot:  Suit of Cups

Author:  Shannon MacLeod

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  3

Genre:  paranormal romance

Blurb:  Sometimes, love lasts lifetimes.
Lily’s whole life is planned out. She’ll live, if not happily, at least ever after. Working as an insurance agent with her college sweetheart and longtime boyfriend, Lucas, she’ll eventually marry him and together they’ll take over the family agency. Then she and Lucas will start raising little insurance agents of their own. But something is missing…
At her best friend’s urging, she decides to do one last wild thing before committing her life to a future of policy endorsements–she takes a part time job reading tarot cards at a local Renaissance Faire theme park. Lucas is completely unimpressed and disdainful of her fascination with the mystical, but has no doubt she’ll settle down once they’re married. Enter Ian Kelly, mural painter, actor and…witch. He and Lily have a chance meeting at the park, and the attraction is immediate. They have a history…a lot of history. Several lifetimes of it, in fact, and their business together is unfinished.
All three have secrets, one of them deadly. Add in heaping helpings of magic, mayhem, Cuban sandwiches, one large Irish family and one very demanding feline for a story of love so strong, it’ll take more than one century to contain it.
CONTENT WARNING: Language, suggestive scenes.

Prize #40 

Title:  The Gypsy Ribbon:  Suit of Wands

Author:  Shannon MacLeod

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  3

Genre:  paranormal romance

Blurb:  Rock hard, play hard, love harder.
Internationally known wild child James Kelly is a filthy rich rock star, devilishly handsome, with silicone beauties aplenty to grace both his arm and his bed. He has it all. Or does he? What he wants most is a real woman to tell him no once in a while…and thanks to his inherited precognition, he knows her when he meets her. But the vision of his future is shrouded in darkness and shadows.
Tarot reader Lisbeth Vargo works at the local renaissance faire. She’s still stinging from her last bad relationship when her best friend marries James Kelly’s brother. After being paired up in the wedding party, sparks fly between Lisbeth and James. Even her tarot cards tell her he’s the one, but is the interest of a “bad boy” something she can take seriously?
Sometimes falling in love takes a leap of faith. Occasionally it needs a push off the cliff. James is more than happy to give Lisbeth that needed shove, but will his love save her…or get her killed?
CONTENT WARNING: Irish mischief, smokin’ sex, creative uses for ice cream and bad gypsy accents.

Prize #41

Title:  Rogue on the Rollaway

Author:  Shannon MacLeod

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  3

Genre:  paranormal romance/time travel

Blurb:  Hell hath no fury like a faery scorned.
A man out of time. Enchanted by a jealous faery, 13th century warrior and druid Faolan MacIntyre has his work cut out for him. In order to break his curse, he must entice a woman to fall in love with him. His love comes at the highest possible cost, however…for the woman.
A woman alone. Rebuilding her life after an ugly divorce, merchandising director Colleen O’Brien lives vicariously through movies and romance novels. When the sexy bespelled Scot crash lands in her living room unannounced, her resolve to never love again is sorely tested. After admitting her love, Colleen finds herself in 14th century Ireland. Now she’s scared and alone, until Faolan finds her and they are both pursued by their jealous enemy.
Thrown together by destiny but held together by love, Faolan and Colleen must work together if they are to survive. But for two headstrong people–a man accustomed to giving orders and a woman who refuses to take them–it’s much easier said than done.
CONTENT WARNING: Faery magic gone awry, a plucky Irish heroine and a hot Highlands badass clad in a very small towel.

Prize #42

Title:  Jesse’s Find

Author:  Penny Estelle

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  historical romance,Western

Blurb:  Jesse Mason is bone tired and just miles from home when a strange sound drifting with a Kansas wind catches his ear.
He spies something hiding in the tall grass. His temper sizzles at the sight of a horse, dead from exertion, and is ready to string up the cowboy that has done this. What Jesse finds is no cowboy at all, but a woman who has been shot and an infant, both, he fears will not make it to his home alive.
Jesse didn’t ask for this, but he knew he couldn’t turn his back on them. What he didn’t know was somebody wanted that woman dead and didn’t care who else had to die to get that job done.

Prize #43

Title:  Justice Comes to Salina

Author:  Penny Estelle

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  historical romance,Western

Blurb:  Black smoke billows and a whistle blares, as the steam engine pulls into Salina, Kansas, delivering the town’s new school teacher, Victoria Stone.
The people of Salina are caring and do all they can to make Victoria feel welcome and her students are finding their way into her heart. Then there’s the town’s sheriff, Jim Timmons, who is getting under her skin and turning every emotion she has inside out.
But the truth is, Salina didn’t pick Victoria – She picked the town of Salina. And in her bag, Victoria isn’t toting books and school supplies. There is a score to settle in Salina, Kansas, and nothing or nobody is going to deter her from putting things right.

Prize #44 

Title:  A Float Down the Canal

Author:  Penny Estelle

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  middle-grade romance

Blurb:  Twelve-year old Pam Simpson gets dumped on when her mother is called into work. She must cancel her plans for the mall to babysit her younger brother and his friend and take them to the public pool. To make matters worse her cousin, Candy, is also coming over for the day. She doesn’t even like Candy!
Much to Candy’s dismay, transportation to the pool is on inner tubes, floating down the canal. One thing leads to another and it is Pam who, once again, must save the day.
When things couldn’t seem worse, the day takes a drastic turn for the better and it is Candy, and the float down the canal, that makes this the best day of Pam’s life!

Prize #45

Title:  Unglorious War

Author:  Maxine Flam

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  unlimited

Format:  paperback (U.S. resident only)

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  historical romance

Blurb:  Unglorious War is a love story that takes place during the Vietnam War between a wounded ex-POW Special Forces Officer and the Navy Nurse who rehabilitates him. Share their passion, share their love, share their faith journey as they question their choice to be career military personnel during a difficult time in American history.

Prize #46

Title:  Crewel Work

Author:  Natalie Alder

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  The key to a successful horse farm is the trainer. At Bridgeton Pass, J. P. Ryan is that key. William Becker is determined to protect his farm and keep Ryan on the job.

That goal is threatened by two things – a sinister act by another employee and the fact that his only daughter has fallen head-over-heels in love with J. P.
Becker can’t allow either of those things to threaten his legacy.
Audra grew up around the handsome trainer and fell in love with him at a distance, enchanted by his kindness and honesty. When they began stealing private but innocent moments, she found that she didn’t want to live without him. Audra is heartbroken when she has to choose between honoring her father and pursuing love.
J.P. wants Audra by his side, but he finds himself with a hard decision.
He is forced to choose between his career and the love of his life. Between the problem caused by the troublemaking barn hand and the frustration caused by his desire for Audra, J.P.’s job has become a ‘crewel’ work.
The story of the Becker family is woven as an intricate Tapestry. It is beautiful as a whole, but like any tapestry, you have to turn it over and look at the back side to see how the threads of love and family relationships are woven together into one intricate whole.
Welcome to the Tapestry series.

Prize #47

Title:  J’s Closet

Author:  Ryan O’Leary

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  erotic romance

Blurb:  J’s Closet: Volume 1 includes 7 short stories about Travis and his wife J thus far.
No head games, just fun games. Come along with J and her swoon-worthy husband Travis, as this sexy married couple explores the contents of J’s extensive wardrobe. Whether they’re in Travis’ Charger, on a beach in Mexico or at a hot yoga class, J’s got the right outfit to make Travis sit up and beg.
*Content Warning: intended for mature audiences 18+

Prize #48

Title:  Kiss a Frog

Author:  Scarlett Jade

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  romantic comedy, contemporary

Blurb:  Lily Halloway had been best friends with Abby Killian and Laura Monroe since before she could remember. Even though they had their differences, their love of romance novels brought them together monthly for their book club. They decided to read a popular erotic romance and see if their lives changed in the month before Lily’s thirtieth birthday. The quest was an easy one. Kiss all the frogs you can and try to find a prince.
Simple, right?
What Lily discovers is that finding an eligible bachelor under forty is nearly impossible, and after a couple laughable sexcapades, she’s ready to give up. She agrees to one more date with a co-worker’s brother, only to prove she can get a boyfriend before they can.
Meeting Luca De Soros, the sexy FBI agent for a blind date propels her on a crash course with danger. Lily can’t stay away from his heat, even though she knows she can be burned in the process. Luca is everything she ever wanted in a hero, but time might run out for her to be saved.
Will she be able to see if happily ever after can really happen, or will she miss out on her thirtieth birthday altogether?

Prize #49

Title:  True Love’s Fire

Author:  Sable Hunter

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  erotic romance, Valentine’s themed

Blurb:  Continuing the Hell Yeah! Series with book 12
While vacationing at a cabin in the Ozarks, Scott Walker – Austin neurobiologist, gets snowed-in and has to be rescued by local, Lia Houston. She brings him food, helps him fix his heat and tries to get his car on the road. A monster storm has paralyzed the mountain and as she’s trying to chain his car to her truck, a huge ice-covered limb falls, crushing the front of her pick-up and almost flattening Scott. If she hadn’t moved fast, he’d be a memory – but the brave action on her part comes with a price, she’s injured and stuck with Mr. Know-It-All until the weather abates. Scott doesn’t believe in love, much less love at First Sight. So when he meets Lia, he welcomes the attraction, but fights the tenderness with every breath in his body. Join Sable Hunter as she chronicles their journey from lust to love with a lot of fireworks in between. They meet at the dawn of the New Year, and by Valentine’s Day the fires of True Love are burning bright.
**Content Warning: Contains explicit scenes, details and language. Intended for 18+ Audience

Prize #50

Title:  Exposed:  The Education of Sarah Brown

Author:  Michele E. Gwynn

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  erotic romance, suspense

Blurb:  The Dangers of Sex
Sarah Brown sets out on a journey to sexual self-discovery and falls face first into danger. In Barcelona, Anthony de Luca, an author and photographer unleashes the full force of his charm that threatens to steal her heart, a prize he openly admits he doesn’t want. Still, she can’t resist him, and finds herself experiencing the heights of ecstasy and the lows of heartbreak as her lover leaves without a word. In Berlin, Paul Christiansen, a handsome Dutch lothario with a sordid past works his wiles to seduce her body; while in the shadows, a predator stalks a young boy close to Sarah determined to get what he wants or kill anyone who gets in his way. One of her two lovers has led a dangerous criminal straight to her door, but which one? And who can she trust? Will Sarah survive or will she lose both her heart and her life to desire?

Prize #51

Title:  Hiding Out

Author:  Nicole Andrews Moore

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  romantic suspense

Blurb:  Samuel Davenport runs his family’s New York based advertising agency. His brother, Adam, runs from responsibility and anything remotely boring. And his temp, Haley, runs so she’ll never be caught and hurt again. She moved to the city New Year’s Day to hide and recover, to build a new life far from her past. In an effort to lie low, Haley never expects to be more than a temp. What begins for Sam as an excuse to get to know her better, ends up being an opportunity for advancement and excitement for Haley. When Sam tries to uncover all of Haley’s mysteries, he exposes her hiding place, endangers her life, and threatens to destroy any chance of them ever having a future together.

Prize #52

Title:  Shadow in Glass

Author:  J. Rose Alexander

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  romantic sci-fi/fantasy

Blurb:  Every little girl dreams of waking up a Princess…

…the reality, Carrie finds out, isn’t exactly a fairy tale.
Carrie Whitmore, aspiring journalist, wakes up after a building collapse to find herself in a world where she is a spoiled, bratty princess engaged to a self-indulgent egomaniac. She has no college education and no friends at all. Carrie finds out that “she” wants nothing to do with the crown after the death of her brother and is happy being bitter, cruel and reclusive.
But that’s the old Princess Barbara, lost in the tragic accident that slipped Carrie into the Princess’s life. Carrie must change the way the people of the Nation perceive her. Her journey to learn who she is in this new world and to deal with the twists and turns of her unwillingly adopted life will change her perception of everything and everyone around her.
And maybe, just maybe, she’ll get the fairy tale princess ending every little girl dreams of.

Prize #53

Item:  swag pack

Author:  Susan Stoker

Prize #54

Title:  Eyubea Girls

Author:  Palessa

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  historical romance

Blurb:  Graham Tate-Fuller needs a wife. Not just any wife. One who is young enough to take on his education mission to the African continent and not ask too many questions about his past.
Lisbette Caldwell is just seventeen, a young woman who isn’t ready to give up her tomboy ways. She dreams of playing football and becoming a teacher just like her father. Through a series of circumstances beyond her control, Lisbette marries Graham and embarks on an adventure in Eyubea, a small independent township in southern Africa which managed to escape the colonial rule that overtook many other African nations.
There Lisbette settles into her new life as an assistant teacher to a small group of young girls who will have no choice but to become wives and mothers. It’s a simple enough task that will turn into a fight for their lives as Graham’s past catches up to them and Lisbette faces the dark side of marriage in a land not her own.
Set in the early 1900’s, Lisbette is forced to take a stand for herself and her Eyubea Girls against stacked odds, even if it means losing the life she’s come to love. With the help of new friends and a will to carve out her own place in the world, she searches for a way to live life on her own terms in a place she will come to call home.

Prize #55

Title:  Becca’s Dance

Author:  Jordyn Meryl

Format:  choice of ebook or signed paperback

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  The journey of life is not about the path traveled, it’s about the dance.
Remember your first love? The itching in your palms to touch that person, the churning sensation of your stomach when you kiss, or the promise of forever love? A summer romance had all the possibilities for Becca and Clay. But a tragic accident killing two of their friends, sent Becca running away to build a sheltered life, protected from pain. Clay tried to drown his pain in booze and other women, but failed. Each picked mates for reasons other than love.
Twenty years later their paths cross as Becca tries to escape from the shame of a divorce, and Clay is living life as a single father to six grown boys.
In the small community of Lester Lake, love, fate and star-crossed lovers work towards rekindling a first and only true love.

Prize #56

Item:  set of three books (When Dreams Change, When Dreams Collide & When Dreams Die)

Author:  Jordyn Meryl

Format:  choice of ebooks or signed paperbacks

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  

WHEN DREAMS CHANGE –

A small quaint Italian cafe on the shores of the Mediterranean was the dream for Jessica. Failing to realize her husband’s ambitions were another woman almost blew her plans apart. Stepping in as her bartender, Alejandro helps save her when he becomes not only her rescuer, but a man who brings out hidden feelings of desire. When her wayward husband returns, Jessica faces the decision of her future.
WHEN DREAMS COLLIDE –

Dreams Collide when two different visions are on a crash course to success.

Roberto and Emily are on a collision course from the moment they meet. Dumped at the altar, Emily is not looking for love in any way, shape or form. Escaping the gossip and pity looks, she searches out her cousin, Jessica in Italy. Happening upon the small, personal law office of Giordano, while a Harvard Law School graduate, she asks if she can clerk for him. The simple life appeals to her. In walks Roberto, hot, handsome and full of charisma Roberto. Emily feels there is no future for them as he is on the high road to international success and the life she chose to walk away from.
WHEN DREAMS DIE – Your heart never forgets when dreams die.

Some people fall in love at first sight, some fall in love only once. Sophia and Fernando fell in love as children and their love only grew. Sophia left motherless at a young age, always felt secrets were being kept from her. Her father is distant, her brother unreachable. Fernando is her one and only friend, family and love. When they can finally marry, Sophia wants to build a life of a home, children, full of laughter. The truth of why her mother left, threatens to destroy all her dreams. Can she stop the destruction rushing towards her? Or will her dreams die?

Prize #57

Title:  Solitary Dreamer

Author:  Linda L. Picl

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Everyone felt sorry for Carrie Lawson. She was a sweet woman who had nothing but a deadbeat husband and a dream of a writing career. Happiness was something she had to fight for but when she met Logan Franks, a local firefighter, her love life became a whole lot warmer until her very existence was almost snuffed out by a person she thought she’d never see again.

Logan Franks is hot, and not just in looks. Being a volunteer firefighter doesn’t just mean being on a calendar or turning girls on…it’s dangerous work. Sometimes you have to go in and save everyone, sometimes even your worst enemy. But Logan is above all that, he will save everyone he can.
He and Carrie will fight for a life together, no matter what, even if the chances are high it will all blow up in their faces.

Prize #58

Title:  Old Town Nights

Author:  Linda Lee Williams

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  paranormal romance

Blurb:  When Abby Lawrence shows a house to Ambrose Slater, she’s unable to resist the handsome, sensitive hybrid-vampire, who is a powerful mortal. As she witnesses the deterioration of his brother’s marriage to a regular woman, Abby must decide if she can embrace the vampire lifestyle or give up the only man she’s ever loved. Ambrose must choose whether to risk losing Abby’s love or setting her free, even if it kills him…
Can a vampire baker and a spunky realtor make their relationship work? Or will their quirky families and the odds against them doom their love affair?

Prize #59

Title:  New England Nights

Author:  Linda Lee Williams

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  paranormal romance

Blurb:  All is not what it seems to be on the eastern seaboard…
Abandoned late at night, Norah Sheridan shows up on Geoff Hammond’s doorstep, leaving him no choice but to take her in. Attracted to Norah, Geoff risks breaking every promise he’s made to his dying mother. Will Norah care that the handsome, renowned painter and his other artistic friends are vampire-human hybrids, pursuing their talents in Bridgeport, Connecticut? Or will she fall in love with him despite herself?

Prize #60

Title:  Life Begins at Sunrise

Author:  William H. Joiner, Jr.

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  5

Format:  paperback

Number of copies:  5

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Vane Carson was a good-looking young man with a hard edge and a soft heart. Follow his adventures as he leaves college for the chance to train bird dogs. From apprentice to partner, he masters the business and learns what it takes to be a man, all through the excitement of field trials.

Vane’s quest to overcome betrayals and anger is a mythic story of inspiration as he finds true love—and God’s forgiveness—through the touch of an honest young woman.
Can a white man find love with a black woman in a prejudiced society?
Can a black man find love with a white woman surrounded by bigotry?

Prize #61

Title:  Till Heaven Then Forever

Author:  Linda Heavner Gerald

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  5

Genre:  inspirational romance, contemporary

Blurb:  Till Heaven Then Forever is a story about an older man and a younger woman. Deeply entrenched in the world, surrounded by wealth, they ‘had it all.’ Or did they? Their desire was to remain together until death, but that was becoming increasingly harder in their world. They found the way, the only way, for a couple to remain together here on earth and then forever. This is a compelling story that will draw the reader into island life in the Bahamas. Yet, even living in paradise cannot prevent the pain that every couple encounters—pain so strong that it often tears apart even the most loving. Lily and Brian find the key to Till Heaven Then Forever.

Prize #62

Title:  Conquering Your Goliaths:  A Parable of the Five Stones

Author:  Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Format:  paperback

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  Christian fiction with romance

Blurb:  David gathered 5 smooth stones to meet and defeat Goliath. What did these stones represent and how can you use them to conquer Goliaths in your own personal quests? Ms. Virginia Bean will show you how.
Travel with her on her own personal journey. See what she does. Learn how she grows. Discover what she becomes.
“Conquering your Goliaths—A Parable of the Five Stones” is for anyone desiring to travel beyond mediocrity, pain and fear. Learn of the great power within you, a power given to you from God, a power that must ultimately be unleashed to conquer the Goliaths in your own life. Come to an even deeper understanding of God and what he wants for you. Come…

Prize #63

Title:  The Feast:  A Parable of the Ring

Author:  Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Format:  paperback

Number of copies:  1

Format:  audiobook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  Christian fiction with romance

Blurb:  Virginia had experienced the power and direction of the five stones; now, she would need to use them again.
For entirely different reasons.
Keeping her marriage together was not the only thing on her mind. Having a child wasn’t going to happen in the usual way, and Virginia was determined that adoption was the answer. If she did all of the right things, said all of the right words; if she remembered the five stones in her journey to get her child, God would surely have to answer her.
It wouldn’t be too difficult.

Prize #64

Title:  Valerie’s Retreat

Author:  Joseph M. Rinaldo

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  4

Genre:  romantic suspense

Blurb:  Be the first to experience the new genre – Movie Novel!
More entertaining than an iPhone.
More captivating than an iPad.
More thrilling than…you get the idea.
You’ll see the movie playing in your mind as you read. Today’s fast-paced society demands this new entertaining genre.
Valerie’s Retreat is proud to be a pioneer in this new genre. Of course, the story is what matters…
Valerie, a middle-aged woman, leading an average life as a head teller at a bank finally finds her soul-mate, Franco. He’s sixteen years younger and studying for a Ph.D. in Archeology, but they click. Suddenly, the evil hand of fate causes their lives to fall into a downward spiral. They lean on each other. Trying to find happiness they happen to commit a little crime – make that a little felony, and dash out of the country. Now they’re happy – mostly.

Prize #65

Title:  Kisses from the Heart

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Mindi Adams is a feisty, fun-loving pretty young woman, who is quick witted and sharp tongued at times. After catching her boyfriend cheating, she packs his things and ousts him from her home. She is fine after he goes, realizing that although the relationship was comfortable, there were no fireworks. Her entire life changes the night of the storm, when a prison bus is forced into a swollen creek and overturns, releasing twelve prisoners. One of them is in Mindi’s house!

She is terrified at first, but soon realizes that he is not the monster she believed him to be. In fact, she believes he is innocent of the murder charge that convicted him, and she becomes determined to help him prove that innocence. She helps him devise a plan and in the process falls in love. Something goes wrong and he is captured and taken into custody. Now Dan has the proof he needs but it is ignored, until the entire city goes into an uproar. Eventually the real killer slips up because of the pressure and duress and Dan is freed. He does not go back for Mindi right away, because he wants to have something to offer her. She about gives up hope, but Dan arrives just in time, and they share kisses from the heart.

Prize #66

Title:  Maddie’s Garden

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Growing up in an unstable home, and then being tossed into the home of her estranged father and his new family, Maddie knows how it feels to be unwanted. All she longs for is a normal family where there is love, peace, and harmony. When she finds the twins hiding in her yard, her heart opens up and love spills all over them. They are running away because their widowed father is going to marry a woman they hate, and they claim she hates them, too. Maddie is taken in by the twins, and soon becomes good friends with their father. She steps in and helps out when he asks her, and she is glad to do it. When Adam has set a date for his wedding, he backs away from Maddie, hoping to give his future wife a chance to bond with his children. It is then that Maddie realizes that she is in love with Adam, and her heart breaks. Maddie isn’t the only one who is sad. The twins are devastated and resort to drastic measures to get Maddie back. In spite of their sad little faces, the wedding day arrives, and it is up to Adam to make it right.

Prize #67

Title:  Second Chances

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Melanie Thomas believes that sometimes people who are down on their luck just really need that little boost upward to improve their quality of life; and she can provide that. Since she started her tee-shirt embossing shop she has made a difference in her employees’ lives by giving them a new lease on life–hope–a second chance. Her employees are grateful and dedicated to her, but someone else wants her property for his own purpose. Things start happening after he approaches her with an offer to buy her building–an offer she immediately turns down. When inspectors start showing up, Melanie believes it’s a ploy to force her to sell and she silently laughs about it. But when the building burns, she knows exactly who to accuse. It hurts because she was falling in love with him. It seems everyone needs a second chance now and then. 

Prize #68

Title:  Going Home

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  2

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Fifteen years ago Cassie fled her hometown, taking with her an undeserved bad reputation and a broken heart. She reluctantly returns for her father’s funeral and comes face to face with the one who broke her heart. This encounter sends her packing again, only this time it’s not so easy to just leave and forget. Her visit opens old wounds, stokes old flames, and uncovers lies and deceit. It’s showdown time!

Prize #69

Title:  Consequences

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  We all must take responsibility for our choices, and be prepared for the consequences. But what if the consequences affect someone else?
Trent is growing up and he desperately wants to know his father. His mother does not know what to tell him, since he was the product of a one night stand. When Trent starts acting out and getting into trouble, his mother makes a promise to try to find the man who fathered him. The search ends in a life changing event, and many people are affected, including Lindy and Ricky DeCelli. Lindy (Riley, then) suffered Nelson’s brutal attack as a teen (Choices); and then Lindy and Ricky both went through hell when Nelson kidnapped their daughter (The Bushes are Red). Nelson paid the consequences for the first crime and is now paying for the kidnapping. Unfortunately, Trent is, too.

First there were choices to be made, and then came the consequences that lead to the next generation.

Prize #70

Title:  Perfect

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  

Katrina: Beautiful, bright and talented, she grew from a beautiful child into a beautiful woman. As the youngest in the family she grew up with two adoring, protective brothers. They, as well as everyone else recognized that she was special—perfect, actually.

Nathan: A handsome replica of his father, he grew up to be exactly what his father had hoped for—the perfect son. He was the source of his parents’ pride. His brother was the opposite end of the spectrum. Suffering from mental problems, Steven’s actions cast a shadow over the family for much of Nathan’s childhood and adolescent years.

Katrina and Nathan: A wicked twist of fate brought them together, and they are perfect for each other. Their life is beautiful—perfect. Another wicked twist of fate tears them apart. Or does it?

Prize #71

Title:  Choices

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Lindy and Ricky are young and in love. Lindy is pretty, blond and petite, and is still grieving over the loss of her mother and sad because her father ignores her. Ricky, tall, dark, and extremely handsome, still misses his father who died suddenly from a heart attack when Ricky was thirteen. Since he just can’t get along with his nagging mother, she sends him away from Chicago to live with his uncle in Pittsburgh. On his second day in a new school, he meets Lindy, and from the moment they meet they are dazzled by the strong electricity between them. By the end of the day a strong bond has already begun to form between them. Their relationship is challenged by many adversities, but through it all, the bond only becomes stronger and makes them even more determined to be together. Ricky’s Uncle Nick loves both Lindy and Ricky, and recognizes that their love for each other is very real. He becomes a strong ally in their corner as they challenge the rest of the world defending their love and the right to be together forever. This is the first book of the trilogy, followed by The Bushes are Red and then The Full Nelson.

Prize #72

Title:  The Bushes are Red

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  fiction with some romance

Blurb:  Lindy and Ricky are all grown up and have children of their own. Through hard work, perseverence and determination they have made it! They are living the American dream, surrounding themselves and their two children, Samantha and Michael with love and comfort, and a safe environment. Still wildly in love with each other, Lindy and Ricky focus on their family and a lifestyle that provides their children with security and the knowledge that they are loved. Their house is full of love and happiness until….Samantha is gone!

Where? Who took her? Why?

Lindy and Ricky’s emotions go on a wild rollercoaster ride as they face every parent’s worst nightmare. They are grateful for the love and support of their family and friends who rally around doing whatever they can to help, because Lindy and Ricky can only focus on one thought: They have to get Samantha back! The only clue they have to go on is that Samantha is somewhere where the bushes are red.

Prize #73

Title:  The Full Nelson

Author:  Carole McKee

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  contemporary romance

Blurb:  Nelson Sutter grew up hard. Although faced with a cruel and unloving mother, he did his best to make his father proud, promising to always do right and to stay out of trouble. He kept the promises he made to his father until he came across his one and only weakness—Lindy. Lindy—everybody’s sweetheart—an angel that everybody loves. Now as Nelson faces prison for the next twenty years of his life, he wants his turn. He wants to tell his story to the world.

Prize #74

Title:  The Gangster’s Kiss

Author:  Ginger Ring

Format:  ebook

Number of copies:  1

Genre:  historical romance, suspense

Blurb:  John O’Malley’s sister is missing. All the clues of her disappearance lead to Hayward County, Wisconsin and the crooks and questionable sheriff that reside there. Pretending to be one of them, John takes a job as bodyguard for the sheriff’s beautiful sister, Grace. It seems like the perfect way to investigate their crimes and corruption, but when someone threatens to kill Grace, the job proves harder than he thought. Is she an innocent witness to a crime, or just as guilty as everyone else?

Grace Sullivan just wanted a normal life: find a good man, get married and have a family. She has had enough of looking the other way while her brother hides behind his sheriff’s badge to conduct shady dealings. Hiring a gangster named John to watch her is the final straw. When a face from the past threatens her life, she is forced to put her life in John’s hands, but as time goes on, all she really wants is to be in the gangster’s arms.

 

We hope you found some fascinating titles and new favorite authors! I want to thank our generous authors once more for making this one unforgettable event!

Readers, don’t forget to leave a comment below with your reading preferences and a way to contact you. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog and participating in our unique Valentine’s Day giveaway! What a way to celebrate romance, huh? I wish you lots of success in the contest.

As always, happy reading! 🙂