Monday, July 31, 2017

#Excerpt: SOMEWHERE MY LADY by Beth Trissel


Chills crawled down her spine and stood the tiny hairs at the back of her neck on end. The last thing she expected on this June day was a visitation from beyond, and certainly not by merry dancers.

She shrank noiselessly against the wall, pinching her pebbled arms to be certain she was awake.

Could she dream she was pinching herself?

What about the strong scents? The pungency of tobacco smoke and flowery perfumes wafted around her. Were odors a part of dreams? And sounds?

Dear Lord, how was any of this possible?

Uncertain if she were dreaming or haunted, she gaped at the animated figures. Wait. There. Him.

Her attention riveted on one young man in the gathering. He’d spun by earlier. She’d swear he gazed over his shoulder in her direction, then promenaded up the hall. His expert steps returned him again to the entryway.

Unlike the other dancers, he was fully corporeal. No partially seen legs or torso. Fitted blue breeches and silk stockings encased his long muscular legs. He wore his own chestnut brown hair pulled back in a queue at his neck, free of powder, while most male heads were wigged and white. The deep blue suit tailored to his tall figure complemented his deft steps in the English country dance.

Something about him held her spellbound…the tilt of his head, arch of his brow, glimpse of his profile… She followed his every move with the fixity of an owl.


BLURB:

Lorna Randolph is hired for the summer at Harrison Hall in Virginia, where Revolutionary-War reenactors provide guided tours of the elegant old home. She doesn't expect to receive a note and a kiss from the handsome young man who then vanishes into mist.
Harrison Hall itself has plans for Lorna – and for Hart Harrison, her momentary suitor and its 18th century heir. Past and present are bound by pledges of love, and modern science melds with old skills and history as Harrison Hall takes Lorna and Hart through time in a race to solve a mystery and save Hart's life before the Midsummer Ball.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Married to her high school sweetheart, Beth Trissel lives on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by her human family and furbabies. An avid gardener, her love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into her work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans, and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of her inspiration. She's especially drawn to colonial America and the drama of the American Revolution. And she loves a good ghost story. In addition to Young Adult and New Adult fantasy romance, she also writes historical, time travel, and paranormal romance, plus nonfiction.

For more on Beth visit her blog, One Writer’s Way, at: https://bethtrissel.wordpress.com

Connect with Beth on Facebook: Author Beth Trissel  https://www.facebook.com/bctrissel?fref=ts


Visit Beth’s Amazon Author Page where all her books reside: https://www.amazon.com/Beth-Trissel/e/B002BLLAJ6



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Friday, July 28, 2017

#Excerpt: HUNTED FATE by Jennifer Derrick


Hunted Fate
Jennifer Derrick
(Threads of the Moirae, #3)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: July 24th 2017
Genres: Mythology, Romance, Young Adult

Alex and Atropos have taken refuge at an abandoned mountain resort compound. Atropos is a wanted woman in hiding, and the downtime with her soul mate is a nice change of pace. But the peace will be short-lived. The authorities are after her for her role in the attack on the city of Charlotte.
Zeus has put a bounty on her head. There’s also a war to prepare for—and if she wins, the gods will be deposed once and for all. But first she needs to track down Gaia, and even that won’t be simple. Gaia resides at the bottom of the ocean, and the humans and gods are already hot on Atropos’ trail…
A heart-pounding romantic adventure where Greek mythology and modern-day life collide, Hunted Fate is the third book in the epic Threads of the Moirae series by Jennifer Derrick.

Previous books in the series:
Grab book 1 – Broken Fate – for FREE!

EXCERPT:
“We need whoever provides security around here. Or Hades. They’re bound to be the ones who can open this. If we can find them, we can drag them down here and slap their hand on this thing to get it open,” Alex says.
“We need another way,” Sara says, shaking her head. “We haven’t seen a single person since we got here. It’s too time consuming to track them down. And we’ll never get Hades.”
“Anyone know of any other ways to crack a palm plate?” I ask.
“Short of finding a valid fingerprint and going through an awful lot of steps to create a fake finger, the only other way is to break down the software controlling it,” Alex says.
“Are any of you hackers?”
Alex raises his hand.
“You can hack this?” I ask. “I didn’t know you were a hacker.”
“I’m not. But there isn’t a lot to do when you’re stuck at home with a terminal disease or trapped in a crappy boarding school. I taught myself a few things, made a few online friends who were a little shady. Depending on how sophisticated the software is, I might be able to crack it.”
“Would it be controlled from the computer out front?”
“It might be. Or it might be controlled from a central server that’s who knows where. No way to know without looking,” he says.
“That computer is password protected. If you try to force it, you may set off alarms.”
“Then I’ll have to be careful,” he says, heading back to the lobby.
We follow and gather around the desk while he works. The keys clack under his fingers as he mutters instructions to himself.
“Okay, I’m in the system,” he says. “While I’m here, I’m going to shut down those security cameras. No need for everyone to know where we are.”
The TV feed blinks and is gone.
He keeps typing and clicking and muttering. The rest of us sit down on the floor and wait. There’s nothing we can do.
“Huh. That could be tricky,” he says.
“What?” I ask, getting up and going around the desk so I can see his screen. Not that the gibberish there means squat to me.
“The system that controls the fingerprint scanners also controls the card locks. Worse, it’s not separated by floor. I’m not good enough to bring down only one piece of the system. It’s all or nothing.”
“What’s the problem?” I ask.
“It means that the only thing standing between us and whatever is behind those cell doors is the hope that none of them try the doors. If the inmates figure out the doors are open, then security will be the least of our problems. All of them could walk right out of here.”
“Do it,” I tell him. “It’s not like we’ll be broadcasting the locks are down. No one will notice. Hopefully.”
“Okay,” he says and goes back to pounding on the keys.
After a few minutes, the computer beeps and Alex pushes away from it.
“Done,” he says.
The words are barely out of his mouth when a series of small pops echoes around the room. They sound like they’re both surrounding us and simultaneously heading away from us.
“Aw, shit,” I say. “The locks. We forgot they make noise! We are idiots. Come on,” I say, racing for the doors on the right.
We slam through the doors and pull up in front of door number four. No one is coming into the hall yet. I’m hoping the inmates think it’s a trap and are too intimidated to try their doors. Either that or they didn’t hear the locks release. Please, just let me get out of here before hell literally opens, I think.

Author Bio:
Jennifer is a freelance writer and novelist. As a freelancer, she writes everything from technical manuals to articles on personal finance and European-style board games. Her interest in storytelling began when she was six and her parents gave her a typewriter for Christmas and agreed to pay her $.01 per page for any stories she churned out. Such a loose payment system naturally led to a lot of story padding. Broken Fate, her first novel, earned her $2.80 from her parents.
Jennifer lives in North Carolina and, when not writing, can often be found reading, trawling the shelves at the library, playing board games, watching sports, camping, running marathons, and playing with her dog. You can visit her at her official website:www.JenniferDerrick.com.


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Thursday, July 27, 2017

#Review: NEVER KISS A HIGHLANDER by Michele Sinclair




5 of 5 stars

 What a roller coaster of emotions between Hamish MacBrieve and Mairead MacMhathain! Would they ever stop fighting long enough to realize the depth of their feelings? Hamish reluctantly returns to his childhood home to help his younger brother Robert, who lies ill. Robert asks Hamish to be his Commander and against everything Hamish believes is wrong with Robert's gentle rule as laird, Hamish agrees, only because a power-hungry guard, Ulrick, threatens to topple Robert's rule. When Mairead wants to help, Hamish keeps his plan of dealing with Ulrick secret, but that's when the sparks begin to fly. Mairead is relentless in her pursuit of knowing all and Hamish is just as relentless in keeping his plan secret.

Ms. Sinclair is a very talented author and does an excellent job of slowing building the relationship between Hamish and Mairead. These two had an instant attraction, but neither would admit it. As details of the power-hungry Ulrick emerge, all the random things Hamish has been doing while at the castle start to solidify into a great strategy with the least amount of bloodshed. I really loved Hamish and while I found Mairead to be annoying at times, when her motives finally come to light, she is a strong and capable Highland lass trying to protect her sister and Robert. My only slight criticism was that the final scene between Mairead and Ulrick--it seemed a little rushed especially compared to the rest of the book. All in all, I found this to be an excellent read and fans of Scottish romances will definitely enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Amazon buy link:

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

#Review: TOO SCOT TO HANDLE by Grace Burrowes




3.5 stars of 5 stars
  
This is the second book in the Windham Brides series I've read by Ms. Burrowes and I enjoyed this one. Colin McHugh has inherited a new English title and he tries to navigate the waters of the ton with the help of a good friend, Montague. However, when a prank gets out of hand, Colin realizes he has more enemies than he can count. Anwen Windham's passion is for the House of Urchins and she'll do anything she can to keep the establishment open. When Colin actually listens to her ideas, she begins to see that not all Scots are brutish boars. Together they must come up with an idea to save the home of these wayward boys, all the while tamping down their passion for one another.

This is another well-written book by Ms. Burrowes, however, I found plot devoid of any real obstacles. Early on, I had figured out the twist and there was no grand misunderstanding between Colin and Anwen to keep these two apart. The story line between Colin and Montague was clever, but everything fell into place much too easily including what happens to the villain of the story. I did love the orphans though. They added a much needed spice to the book.

I'm looking forward to reading Elizabeth Windham's story in "No Other Duke Will Do." I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: TOO SCOT TO HANDLE
Author: Grace Burrowes
Series: Windham Brides, #2
On Sale: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market:  $7.99 USD
eBook: $6.99 USD
Audio: $22.98 USD

As a captain in the army, Colin MacHugh led men, fixed what was broken, and fought hard. Now that he's a titled gentleman, he's still fighting—this time to keep his bachelorhood safe from all the marriage-minded debutantes. Then he meets the intriguing Miss Anwen Windham, whose demure nature masks a bonfire waiting to roar to life. When she asks for his help to raise money for the local orphanage, he's happy to oblige.

Anwen is amazed at how quickly Lord Colin takes in hand a pack of rambunctious orphan boys. Amazed at how he actually listens to her ideas. Amazed at the thrill she gets from the rumble of his Scottish burr and the heat of his touch. But not everyone enjoys the success of an upstart. And Colin has enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin him and anybody he holds dear.

BUY THE BOOK HERE


THE WINDHAM BRIDES SERIES

THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES, #1
TOO SCOT TO HANDLE, #2
NO OTHER DUKE WILL DO, #3


ABOUT THE AUTHOR








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Tuesday, July 25, 2017

#Review: BLACKTHORNE'S BRIDE by Joan Johnston


  5 of 5 stars

 This is the first book I've read by Ms. Johnston, but she's fast becoming one of my favorite authors. "Blackthorne's Bride” is part of a series, but it's not necessary to read the other books to enjoy this one. Josie Wentworth is saved from brutal torture at the hands of a rogue Sioux warrior by Marcus Wharton, the Duke of Blackthorne, who happened to be on a trip to the American west. On the way back to England, Marcus tends Josie's back which is crisscrossed with scars from the whipping she endured and promises to send her home once she's healed.

Two years later, Josie who has been forced to work as a maid at one of Blackthorne's remote properties, is found by a Pinkerton detective and he informs her she is now an heiress. Josie has one mission--to exact revenge against the Duke who has forced her to work for the past two years and to save his two neglected nephews. What happens next to these two is unexpected, exasperating, and exhilarating. Ms. Johnston weaves in the back story of what happened to Josie and her sisters on the plains of the American West without overpowering Josie and Marcus's story. I loved that Josie was not the usual young woman found in Victorian romances. She was strong, smart and knew exactly what she wanted. She kept the Duke on his toes throughout the book. This was a delightful and engaging book that kept my interest to the end. Definitely recommended.

Amazon buy link:


#Review: LORD OF NIGHT by Erica Ridgley



  4 of 5 stars

 This is the third book in the Rogues to Riches series and it is another enjoyable read. Dahlia Grenville has opened and runs a school for wayward girls who have no where else to go. Dahlia teaches real-life skills, but financing for the school is a month to month problem. To help supplement the income, she has resorted to thieving from her peers. Enter Simon Spaulding, a high ranking Inspector, who believes the world is black and white and has vowed to catch the "Thief of Mayfair."

I loved the slow build-up of attraction between Simon and Dahlia. He's married to his job and she feels the same way about her school. Neither have time for romance, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Ms. Ridley has written another winner, although some of the rules for women in the Regency period, are overlooked. As long as you're not a stickler for what a young woman from a aristocratic family could actually do, the story will win you over. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series to find out what exactly happened between Faith Digby and Lord Hawkridge in "Lord of Temptation."

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Amazon buy link:


Author Bio
Erica Ridley is a USA Today and New York Times best-selling author of historical romance novels.
In the new Rogues to Riches historical romance series, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Sigh-worthy Regency rogues sweep strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind rags-to-riches romance with rollicking adventure.
The popular Dukes of War series features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.
When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Get free stories and 99¢ new releases: http://www.EricaRidley.com/club99



Monday, July 24, 2017

New # Romance Release: THE WEDDING PLANNER'S SON by USA TODAY bestselling author Donna Fasano




New Release! Book 6 of the Ocean City Boardwalk Series!

The Ocean City Boardwalk Series isn't just fun in the sun—love is waiting on those sandy shores!

Tawny McNealy is a driven, high-achiever who fully expects to someday take over and run the family accounting firm. But when an attempt is made to use her as a pawn, Tawny flees to the only place she’s ever felt truly free and happy—the beach.

Jack Barclay spends his summer days creating romantic seaside weddings for lovers. His laid-back attitude has served him well over the years. He feels stressing out about work only causes a person to miss the best parts of life.

Jack and Tawny are as different as sea and sky, but the fascination they find in each other’s company can’t be denied. Can they withstand the crazy twists that fate tosses their way?




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Also available in Paperback


Titles in the series:

Following His Heart, Book 1
Two Hearts in Winter, Book 2
Wild Hearts of Summer, Book 3
An Almost Perfect Christmas, Book 4
Grown Up Christmas List, Book 5
The Wedding Planner's Son, Book 6 
The Ocean City Boardwalk Series, Books 1-3 Bundle

Author Info:
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by BigAl's Books & Pals Review Blog. Her books have sold 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her novels have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #1.

Donna has a website, and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Contact information can be found inside Donna Fasano's books. She loves to interact with readers.


#Excerpt: THE CAULDRON STIRRED by Judith Sterling


The Cauldron Stirred
Judith Sterling
(Guardians of Erin, #1)
Publication date: July 21st 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Ashling Donoghue never dreamed moving to Ireland would rock her perception of reality and plunge her into a mystery that brings legend to life.
At seventeen, she’s never had a boyfriend, but she feels an immediate connection to Aengus Breasal, the son of the wealthy Irishman who’s invited her family to stay at his Killarney estate. For the first time in her life, a guy she likes seems attracted to her.
But Aengus is secretive, with good reason. He and his family are the Tuatha Dé Danann, ageless, mythical guardians adept at shifting between this reality and the magical dimension known as the Otherworld. Evil forces from that world threaten the Breasals, the Donoghues, and all of Ireland. Ashling must open her heart, face her fears, and embrace a destiny greater than she could ever have imagined.



EXCERPT:
The night air was deliciously cool. Moonlight and darkness held equal sway over the backyard thanks to the shifting clouds. I dashed across the lawn and halted in the exact spot where Aengus had stood. Panting, I looked around, willing some kind of clue to materialize.
The ruins in front of me darkened as large, heavy clouds swallowed the moon whole. The wind tugged at my long, loose hair and pajamas. Tiny raindrops spattered on my nose and cheeks. I turned my palms to the sky, and cold rain pelted them.
“Great.” Intending to return to the house, I swiveled around.
I gasped. My right hand flew to my chest. “Aengus?!”
The man himself stood an arm’s length in front of me. “Why are you here?”
“You scared the crap out of me!”
“Whisht!”
“What?”
“Shush!”
Pop!
The strident sound came from the ruins. I whirled around and stared at the dark keep.
Aengus grabbed me from behind. He pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me. I reveled in the feel of his taut body, of his warm flesh against mine.
Suddenly, everything changed. The rain stopped. The wind died. The entire landscape was bathed in the soft hue of twilight. Breasal Castle looked brand spanking new, just as it had during the bizarre dream in which I brought Aengus to the cottage. But this time, I knew I was awake.
Dumbfounded, I gawked at the medieval magnificence before me. I had no idea what had happened and no desire to pull away from his embrace.
His lips brushed my right ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “This way.”
His right arm released me, and his left slid down to my waist. Maintaining body contact the entire time, he steered me toward the stand of oaks on our right.
Once sheltered by the trees, he turned us around so we faced the castle.
“Are we hiding?” I whispered.
“We are.”
“Why? And what just happened?”
“I can’t say.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both.”
Until that moment, I’d forgotten I wore pajamas. Now I was acutely aware of it. Satin was pleasing to the touch, but something told me my attire had nothing to do with his grip on me.
I looked up at him. “Not that I mind, but why are you holding me so close?”
His hand tightened on my waist. “It’s necessary.”
“I don’t suppose you can explain that, either.”
With his gaze locked on the castle, he shook his head. He pressed his right forefinger against his mouth in a silencing gesture. Then he pointed up at the keep.
High on the battlements, the black-haired woman from my dream—and from Branna’s painting—paced back and forth. Her hair whipped about her pale face and slender frame.
She paused beside a gap in the crenelated wall and glared down at the fairy mound. Her colorless lips curled into a sneer. Then her human form morphed into a dark shadow, which fragmented into what seemed a million black particles. They swarmed into the air and shot across the twilit sky, disappearing into the distance.
I took a deep breath. “So she’s real.”
He nodded. “She’s real, to be sure. Come.” With his arm still hooked around me, he led me out of the woods and toward the fairy mound.

Author Bio:
Judith Sterling's love of history and passion for the paranormal infuse everything she writes. Flight of the Raven and Soul of the Wolf are part of her medieval romance series, The Novels of Ravenwood. The Cauldron Stirred is the first book in her YA paranormal fantasy series, Guardians of Erin. Written under Judith Marshall, her nonfiction books--My Conversations with Angels and Past Lives, Present Stories--have been translated into multiple languages. She has an MA in linguistics and a BA in history, with a minor in British Studies. Born in that sauna called Florida, she craved cooler climes, and once the travel bug bit, she lived in England, Scotland, Sweden, Wisconsin, Virginia, and on the island of Nantucket. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband and their identical twin sons.

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Saturday, July 22, 2017

New #ROMANCE release: THE ACCIDENTAL WEDDING by Debra Elizabeth



Blurb:
Has Keira made the worst mistake of her life?

Unemployed Keira Callahan decides to try her luck at the casino before delving back into job hunting. As she walks through the casino, she bumps into the most handsome man she’s ever seen. When he asks her to dinner, she doesn’t hesitate. As she learns Cade Tyndale’s story—he needs to wed or lose his British estate, her impulsive nature rears up and she agrees to marry him and move to England for one year. What does she have to lose except her heart to the impossibly handsome Earl of Barrett? 

Buy Links:
Amazon: 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0744PNS1H/


Kobo:
Forthcoming

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-accidental-wedding/id1262504082?mt=11

Friday, July 21, 2017

#Excerpt: VERITAS by Quinn Coleridge


Veritas
Quinn Coleridge
Publication date: July 13th 2017
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical

The ghosts are angry, thinking I’ve neglected them.
Do not forget us, they call out from the grave.
I won’t, I promise them. Upon my life, I won’t.
Being a demigoddess in 1892 Stonehenge, Colorado isn’t all one might suppose, especially when the dead are involved. Yet as Veritas of the Rocky Mountain sovereignty, it is Hester Grayson’s calling to help restless spirits cross over by bringing their killers to justice. Blind and pale as an albino, she dwells on the fringes of the nouveau riche, working with her telepathic beau Tom Craddock to catch the guilty.
When a young woman is brutally murdered, Hester and Tom are determined to solve the case as they have every other. But this one demands more. The killer wears many faces and wields greater magic than even Hester possesses. All sleuthing stops, however, when Tom is gravely wounded, and Hester is cast out of her parent’s mansion into the brutal squalor of an asylum.
At the mercy of an insane doctor, surrounded by agitated ghosts, Hester fights to maintain her own sanity by planning her escape and the downfall of her enemies. Can she achieve her goal and expose the madman who sent her to hell? Or will he continue his bloody reign in Stonehenge?

EXCERPT:
My prayer for relief goes unanswered, and faces flash through my mind. Those I saw in my last vision, the one initiated when the doctor touched my skin. Men, women, old, young—they appear and blur a moment later, shifting into the next person. All of Faust’s victims are deep-branded inside me. They are angry, thinking I’ve neglected them.
Do not forget us, they call out from the grave. I won’t, I promise them. Upon my life, I won’t.
The ghosts tell me to find the Book and steal it. Escape the asylum and expose Faust to the world. Let him answer for every crime, they say, condemned by his own words. If only these spirits could be a bit more specific. How exactly do I escape to do their bidding? Have they any suggestions? But the dead only wail and cry for justice. Blasted ghosts always leave the finer points of the plan for me to figure out.
Further enraged by my hesitation, they cause me to burn hotter. All right, all right, I reply through my psyche. As you wish, I so promise. Truth vibrates through the Pit, and the dead finally set my body free. They have accepted my vow, for the moment, but might be less forgiving tomorrow if I don’t take action. I work for a very impatient crowd.
Most people belong to another in some capacity, as a daughter or son, a sister, spouse, or neighbor, but the inmates of this place have been forgotten. They have no one to speak for them, or to avenge their wrongs. And so I’m here, dumb and blind, to serve as the mouthpiece of the wretched, whether I like it or not. That brazen hussy Fate does love a paradox.
Ironically, serving the dead gives me a reason to live, to go on breathing each day. It answers Hamlet’s eternal question of whether to be or not to be with an affirmative. That is why I crawl about the Pit on my knees, searching for a palm-sized piece of metal. It has been hidden and used many times by the inmates before me. I find the broken iron strip and turn toward the northern wall. The rough surface is covered with spider webs and dirt, but something else as well.
Words.
Hundreds of them have been scratched into the crumbling stone with this strip of iron. I trace the curves and the straight lines of the letters, as I did with my alphabet stencils at home. Of sound mind, one inmate wrote, never insane. In another place, I find Hungry, God Sees, and Died Alone. I scrape the iron against rock. Over and over, until each letter is formed, perfect and smooth. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I blow the dust away from my masterpiece, my call to arms.

LEX TALIONIS
YOUR DAY OF RECKONING AWAITS, FAUST



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