Thursday, October 31, 2019

Audio Blitz: The Journals of Octavia Hollows


Do you like urban fantasy and snarky heroines? Then you'll want to meet necromancer Octavia Hollows and her sidekick Bacon. We are celebrating the release of The Journals of Octavia Hollows by Stacey Rourke on Audio. This collection features all six journals in the series and was published by The Audio Flow. Come fall in love with this feisty heroine, her pet pig, and the brilliant narration provided by Brenda Scott Wlazlo.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ The Journals of Octavia Hollows ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇


Grab your copy: Audible | Audible UK
With a touch of her hand, Octavia Hollows can restore life. Yet, she couldn’t save the man she loved from the horrific accident that stole him from her. Octavia thought she could outrun the pain, but ghosts from the past refuse to be silenced. Out of options, she chooses to retrace her wayward journey across the country in search of answers. Surrounded by baffling mysteries of the undead, what she learns about herself along the way might become her greatest weapon. This six novella series chronicles Octavia's adventures in: Wake the Dead Dead Man's Hand Caught Dead Drop Dead Gorgeous Dead Ringer Dead as a Doornail

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ Listen to A Sample ⋇⋆✦⋆


⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ About the Author ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Stacey Rourke is the award winning author of works that span genres, but possess the same flare for action and snarky humor. She lives in Florida with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. Stacey loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ Giveaway ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇


One lucky US winner will receive a signed paperback copy of the Journals of Octavia Hollows collection. The book will be signed by author Stacey Rourke and narrator Brenda Scott Wlazlo.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Book Blast: The Seduction of Lady Phoebe



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ella Quinn will award a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Polite society has its rules for marriage. But for Ella Quinn’s eligible bachelors, their brides will show them that rules are for the faint of heart . . .

Phoebe Stanhope is not a typical Lady. As feisty as she is quick witted, no one can catch her, especially when she is driving her dashing phaeton with its perfectly matched horses. And unlike her peers, experience has guarded her against a growing list of would-be suitors. But when she encounters Marcus Finley, what she fears most burns deep within his blue-eyed gaze . . .

For Lord Marcus, the spark of recognition is but a moment in the love he has held these many years. Now that he’s returned to England, all the happiness he desires rests on Lady Phoebe never finding out that he was the one who turned her heart so cold and distant. He must work fast to gain the advantage—to convince her what she wants is exactly what she denies—but in order to seduce her into his arms, he must be willing to give up more than he can control . . .


Read an Excerpt

Phoebe walked briskly into the large, sunny breakfast room, the train of her pale green nankeen riding habit draped over one arm.

She greeted her brother, Geoffrey, the sixth Earl of Cranbourne. “Good morning.”

When he looked up from his newssheet and met her gaze, Phoebe saw the fatigue etched in his face.

“Oh, you poor dear,” she said. “Is it the baby?” Miles was Geoffrey and his wife, Amabel’s six-month-old son.

“Yes,” Geoffrey replied. “He’s getting his first tooth. I dare say, had I’d known he would be in this much pain, I would have recommended to him that he not bother.”

Grinning, Phoebe said, “I am sure he would have appreciated the advice.”

Geoffrey handed her a section of the newssheet, and they sat in companionable silence until her sister-in-law joined them.

After pouring a cup of tea, Amabel asked Phoebe, “When do you leave for Town?”

She swallowed a piece of toast. “Next week.”

“I do wish I could go with you,” Amabel said.

“What a whisker!” Phoebe smiled. “You have no desire at all to go to London and dance attendance on me, and, indeed, I have no wish for you to have to do so. I am quite content to stay with my Aunt St. Eth. I much prefer the political parties the St. Eths attend.”

Her sister-in-law pulled a face. “But they are so dry.”

Phoebe laughed when Amabel wrinkled her nose. “I know, for you the subject is a dead bore, but I enjoy it extremely.”

Her sister-in-law frowned. “My dear, how will you ever find a husband if you are attending only political parties?”

“It is not as if there are no unmarried gentlemen at the parties,” Phoebe retorted. “Besides, I daresay I have met every unmarried gentleman the length and breadth of England. Not one has given me the smallest desire to marry. Perhaps I shall set up a salon and become a famous bluestocking.”

Her sister-in-law’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You cannot mean that!”

Phoebe tried to hide her exasperation. “I know you’ve tried very hard to bring about a match for me. I wish you would not persist. I shall marry when I find a gentleman I can love and not before.”

“But you must marry,” Amabel said. “You are almost twenty-four, and you are much too beautiful to become a spinster.”

“I am well aware of my age,” Phoebe said as mildly as she could. “I’m not on the shelf yet.”

After taking a sip of tea, Amabel said airily, “I have invited my brother to visit us.”

Phoebe creased her brows. “Evesham? I thought he was too ill to travel.”

“No, Arthur is indeed too ill,” her sister-in-law said. “I have invited my other brother, Marcus. He shall arrive in three days’ time.”

“Lord Marcus?”

Amabel hesitated before continuing, “He needs to marry now, and I immediately thought of you.”

At the mention of Lord Marcus Finley, Phoebe’s stomach clenched, and the humiliation she had not felt in years burbled within her, feeding her anger.

She took a breath and calmly but firmly said, “I have met Lord Marcus, we did not suit. Amabel, pray excuse me. I have just remembered something I must do.”

Phoebe rose and left the room. Upon entering her chamber, she closed the door with a snap. The control with which she had been holding herself threatened to unravel. Lord Marcus Finley was back.

Myriad feelings of fear, hurt, and despair assailed her. It confused her to feel almost as raw as she had eight years ago when he’d shattered her childish romantic ideas. She had pushed him out of her mind then and, other than the bad dreams, had not purposely thought of him since.

She’d hoped never to hear his name again and certainly did not want to meet him. She’d learned to protect herself, but still mourned her loss of innocence he’d stolen. She would not weep over Lord Marcus. No good could come of thinking of him. Forgetting that day had been easier when he had been safely across the ocean.

Phoebe breathed deeply and strode to her writing desk, a beautiful cherry secretaire. She furiously mended her nib then took a piece of hot-pressed paper, dipped the pen in the standish, and wrote her first letter to her aunt, the Marchioness of St. Eth.

About the Author: USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn's studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a Great Dane. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement.

Ella loves when readers connect with her.

Author Contact and Social Media:

Website: https://www.ellaquinnauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044274.Ella_Quinn
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-quinn
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Quinn/e/B00CAE0FSQ

Buy Links for the Mass Market Paperback:

Kensington: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/38034
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Lady-Phoebe-Marriage-Game/dp/1420147285/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-seduction-of-lady-phoebe-ella-quinn/1115119327
BAM: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Seduction-Lady-Phoebe/Ella-Quinn/9781420147285?id=7711374629459
Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781420147285
Target: https://www.target.com/p/the-seduction-of-lady-phoebe-marriage-game-by-ella-quinn-paperback/-/A-76508331
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Seduction-of-Lady-Phoebe-9781420147285/853764265

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Sunday Post # 35: The Bookish Games



There are 16 hours left in Day 3 (or less depending on when you read this post). I just wanted to say that I enjoy playing. I hope all the other players are enjoying it as well.

Post Rewind

📌 21st = Blog Tour: Code of Conduct

📌 22nd = Blog Tour: Sticking to the Script

📌 23rd = Blurb Blitz: The Monday Book

Moolt Cartoon of the Week
No cartoon this week

"Heads Up" - Upcoming Posts

🔼 29th = Book Blast: The Suduction of Lady Phoebe

🔼 31st = Audio Blitz: The Journals of Octavia Hollows

Goodreads

📚 Rescue Me (by: Valerie Twombly) = moved to "read" shelf

📚 The Body in Griffith Park (by: Jennifer Kincheloe) = added to "want to read" shelf

Currently Reading

📖 tbd

*** If you don't know what to say on this week's Sunday Post topic, you can comment on any other part of the post or just say "hi".

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba Caffeinated Book Reviewer


Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Blurb Blitz: The Monday Book


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author is awarding a randomly drawn winner a $15 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In the midst of pain, Shari Ramming saw an opportunity to learn and create The Monday Book to help others find themselves in their brokenness. With personal evaluations, she guides you to wholeness. Shari lays out steps to finding the treasure in the trauma of life: Acknowledge, Honor, Connect, Practice, and finally, Open to receive the gift of the lesson. Her simple straight-forward advice for fixing whatever feels broken is "begin and continue." It seems hard in practice, but in showing up for yourself, you'll find small ways to daily love yourself and become the cure for your own brokenness. Her message puts your problems outside so you can interact with them in a productive way. By seeing everything and everyone as a reflection of yourself, you'll become more compassionate toward yourself and everyone else. Open yourself up to the true and best you.

Read an Excerpt:

I closed my eyes to rest. However, I saw that a wound had been revealed to me. It wanted to be healed. Facing this would be a challenge but I knew it would be transformational. I had to be a champion of my own life, my own health. I had to address the deeper issue of what had caused my disease. With many months or doctor’s appointments, a dramatic change in diet, rest in spirit, and loving support from my closest people, I began to move into a new space of gentle love for myself. I was getting exactly what I needed to shift into healing mode. Even my doctor looked my husband straight in the eye and said, “Do not give Shari ANY emotional stress until she gets better.” Within weeks I was served with divorce papers. My husband told me he knew I was weak so he offered to drive me there to sign them.

About the Author:
Shari Ramming writes on a broad range of subjects. She feels there is a great intelligence that is not of the mind. Loving her three grown children fiercely she uses verve and wanderlust to make her home in Austin, Texas. She is still learning.

Website: http://www.shariramming.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shariramm/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shariramm

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16559530.Shari_Ramming

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Monday-Book-Shari-Ramming/dp/1733043691/ref=sr_1_1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Blog Tour: Sticking to the Script

CO02-BTBANNER-SBPR

Sticking to the Script, an all-new standalone in the romantic comedy Cipher Office series, from Stella Weaver is available now!

20180715_CO01_Sticking to the Script_Weaver_KDP_FINAL

Steven Thompson had a bad year. A string of mean, kinky (the alarming kind, not the good kind), and crazy dating debacles combined with a boss who appears to be experiencing male-prenatal-psychosis means Steven’s stress levels are high. They’re so high, he’s decided to quit dating and focus instead solely on his job.
Until he meets Dr. Ken Miles.
Doctor Ken Miles is having a fantastic year. His hard work is paying off in a big way . . . professionally. But his social life? Not so much.
Until he meets Steven Thompson.
Steven isn’t so sure about Dr. Miles, but Ken is one hundred percent certain about Mr. Thompson. And even though both men know full well that the key to getting what you want out of life is hard work, they can’t seem to make them—together—work.
Will they ever get on the same page? Or just keep sticking to the same old script?
'Sticking to the Script' is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#2 in the Cipher Office series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Copy of CO02-LIVE

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2k11L3Z
Excerpt
“He asked you to a movie?” She blinked, nonplussed. “Who are we talking about?” Nico asked, leaning around Elizabeth to look at me. His green eyes held a mischievous twinkle, no doubt eager to hear a new chapter of farce and lunacy in Steven’s Big Book of Dating Disasters. “Ken Miles,” I replied. Nico’s twinkle and dimple disappeared. Whether Elizabeth disliked Ken or not, I was sure Nico loathed the man. I couldn’t blame him; it was his prerogative to hate men who used to lust after his wife. He arched one raven eyebrow and asked, “How’d that come about?” “Yeah,” Elizabeth said. “How, Steven?” Her tone was curious, but I thought I detected a little tinge of disapproval that I didn’t like. Not wanting to make an issue of anything, I replied with an easy nonchalance. “I ran into him at Buzzy’s. We started talking about Mystery Science Theater 3000—” “That show’s a riot,” Nico asserted, reaching for his fritter. “The reboot is pretty good, too.” “That’s what I told DKM.” I took Nico’s lead and grabbed my own heavenly pastry. “Then, when he found out the movie was playing at the Music Box,” he asked me if I wanted to see it. So, we went.” I shrugged. “There’s a movie?” Nico asked. “How did I not know this?” I mumbled around my fritter bite, “You’re not missing much.” “Stinker, eh?” “Little bit.” I shrugged again. That had been two, overly casual shrugs in just a few seconds and I worried I was playing it too cool. Elizabeth’s powers of observation surpassed my own. If I wasn’t careful, she’d have me giving her every last detail of the evening. “So,” she broke in. “Are you thinking this might have been like, you know, a date?” Her brows were drawn together in concern, her words tentative. I tilted my head in stern exasperation. “Puh-leeze. The man didn’t know who McSteamy was. I got the memo that he’s straight.” “Who’s McSteamy?” Nico asked. I pursed my lips together, raised my eyebrows and gestured to Nico. “I rest my case.” Elizabeth laughed. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you getting the wrong idea or anything. He’s”—she looked at her husband in apology—“he’s very good-looking, and I could see how asking you to a movie could get your hopes up.” “Nah,” I waved dismissively. “I know what’s up. But I think we could hang out,” I volunteered without thinking. I instantly regretted my slip. “Good luck with that,” Nico said with a laugh. “We had a good time. He’s kind of funny,” I defended. “Not possible,” he declared. Nico was a comedian, and a very successful one at that. He knew what was funny and wasn’t about to give the odious Dr. Miles any benefit of the doubt where humor was concerned. Inexplicable annoyance spurred me to continue. “I think I might make hanging out with him a regular thing.” “I don’t think a stiff like that knows how to have fun.” Elizabeth grimaced at her husband’s uncharacteristic snark, then issued me a sympathetic smile. “Well, it will be good for Dr. Ken Miles. He’s not the most colorful person in the city, that’s for sure. Maybe you’ll broaden his horizons.”

About Stella Weaver
Stella Weaver is a reader, writer, sloppy crafter and family-woman. She’s a native of coastal northern California who now lives on the Texas Gulf coast. She’s won the much coveted #1 Mom of the Year Award and has the coffee mug to prove it.

Connect with Stella Weaver
Connect with Smartypants Romance

Monday, October 21, 2019

Blog Tour: Code of Conduct

CS01-BANNERBT-SBPR

Code of Conduct, the first in the romantic suspense Cipher Security series of standalones, from April White is available now!

20190718_CS01_Code of Conduct_White_KDP_FINAL

There are three things you need to know about Shane P.I.
1) P.I. is not her last name, it's her job title,
2) Her specialty is catching cheaters, and
3) She's a superhuman - kind of.
Gabriel is a security expert for Cipher Security, and a former UN Peacekeeper with a fierce protective streak that finds its focus on the beautiful P.I.
Their attraction is like an elephant in a room full of breakable things, and figuring out how to trust each other with their hearts, and maybe their lives, is the most fragile thing of all.
'Code of Conduct' is a full-length romantic suspense novel, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Cipher Security series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Universe.

CS01-LIVE

Download your copy today!
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2m0Tjm3
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2lZklKt

Excerpt
I pulled up the audio version of the newest Iron Druid book, turned my phone on speaker, and when the tub was full, I sank into the hot water with a sigh. Luke Daniels could read a shampoo bottle and I’d listen, but my mind kept drifting off of Atticus’ and Oberon’s adventures, and was instead hopping from rock to rock in the garden of ADDATA, the Quimbys, and Gabriel. I wasn’t even annoyed when the phone rang and interrupted the story, because I knew I’d have to go back to the beginning of the chapter anyway. It was on its fourth ring when I finally dried off my hand and reached to answer it, so I hit the speaker button just as I looked at the screen. Gabriel’s name startled me so much I didn’t say anything – I just sat up in the tub and stared at the phone. “Please say you’re not in the bath.” Gabriel’s voice was quiet, deep, and had a note of pleading in it. “What do you want, Gabriel?” I moved again, and the water sloshed around me. I knew he could hear it because he groaned softly. “Where to begin.” It was almost a whisper, and the words sent a shiver through me. He cleared his throat and continued in his normal, beautiful voice. “We had a call from Quimby. He said he’d found you and wondered what we were going to do about it.” I didn’t say anything, and the silence lasted two long heartbeats. “Are you okay?” he finally asked, quietly. “He saw me turn from Bryn Mawr onto Sheridan. I lost him in the alleys.” Gabriel exhaled. “Good.” “Aren’t you supposed to be finding his money? Or his wife? Or something else he misplaced?” “Do you have his money or his wife?” he asked “No.” “Okay.” “Okay? What exactly do you want from me, Gabriel?” I sat forward and the water sloshed again. I traced the ripples with my fingers as I heard his sigh. “I don’t know. I just know that every time you move, I hear the water in your bath, and I imagine …” He exhaled sharply. “Be careful, darling. I don’t trust Quimby not to try to hurt you if he can. Don’t let him catch you.” “You haven’t caught me yet, and you’re far more resourceful than that little man.” He chuckled softly. “Yet.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye, and Luke Daniels’ voice returned, continuing the story as I sank down in the water and let its heat lap over the chills on my skin.

About April White
April White has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books.
Her first novel, Marking Time is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and all five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy.

Connect with April6

Connect with Smartypants Romance

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Sunday Post #34: Blog Header





I am excited to officially reveal my new blog header created by Goddess Fish Promotions .


I knew I could trust Goddessfish to design a great blog header. However, this is beyond what I expected. It is definitely far better than anything I could have designed. I don't know if it was a group or a one person that came up with this idea. Either way, I just want to say, "Thank You Goddess Fish Promotions". 



Post Rewind

📌 15th = Book Blast: Miss Felicity's Dilemma

📌 16th = Blog Tour: A Lie for a Lie

📌 17th = Release Blitz: Code of Conduct

📌 18th = Cover Reveal: The Business of Blood

Moolt Cartoon of the Week
No cartoon this week

"Heads Up" - Upcoming Posts

🔼 21st = Blog Tour: Code of Conduct

🔼 23rd = Blurb Blitz: The Monday Book

Goodreads

📚 "blurb" shelf added = This is for the books that are on my "to be read" shelf because the blurb/synopsis attracted my attention.

Currently Reading

📖 Rescue Me (by: Valerie Twombly) = 51%

*** If you don't know what to say on this week's Sunday Post topic, you can comment on any other part of the post or just say "hi".

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Friday, October 18, 2019

Cover Reveal: The Business of Blood

BoB - CR banner

The Business of Blood, an all-new intriguing historical mystery from USA Today bestselling author Kerrigan Byrne, is coming November 7th and we have the gorgeous cover!

BoB-ebook-cover

London, 1890. Blood and death are Fiona Mahoney’s trade, and business, as they say, is booming.
Dying is the only thing people do with any regularity, and Fiona makes her indecorous living cleaning up after the corpses are carted away. Her childhood best friend, Mary, was the last known victim of Jack the Ripper. It’s been two years since Fiona scrubbed Mary’s blood from the floorboards, and London is no longer buzzing about the Ripper, but Fiona hasn’t forgotten. She hasn’t stopped searching for Jack.
When she’s called to a murder in the middle of the night, Fiona finds a victim mutilated in an eerily similar fashion to those of the Ripper, and only a few doors down from Mary’s old home. The relentless and irritatingly handsome Inspector Grayson Croft warns her away from the case. She might have listened, if she hadn’t found a clue in the blood. A clue that will lead her down a path from which there is no return.
As a killer cuts a devastating swath through London, a letter written in blood arrives at her door, and it is only then that Fiona realizes just how perilous her endeavor is. For she has drawn the attention of an obsessive evil, and is no longer the hunter, but the prey.
Fiona Mahoney is in the business of blood. But she’s not the only one.
With intriguing twists, blood-chilling discoveries, and dazzling prose, USA Today Bestselling author Kerrigan Byrne shows that a woman’s work is never done, even when is sleuthing out a serial killer.

BoB - PO

Pre-order the paperback today!
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2qfPPhw
Cover designed by Quirky Bird Designs
About Kerrigan
Kerrigan has done many things to pay the bills, from law enforcement to belly dance instructor. Now she’s finally able to have the career she’d decided upon at thirteen when she announced to her very skeptical family that she was going to “grow up to be a romance novelist.” Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in almost every story.
She lives in a little Victorian coast town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State with her wonderful husband. When she’s not writing you can find her sailing, beach combing, kayaking, visiting wineries, breweries, and restaurants with friends, and hiking…okay…wandering aimlessly clenching bear spray in the mountains.

Profile pic

Connect with Kerrigan
Stay up to date with Kerrigan by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/33VpuF0

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Release Blitz: Code of Conduct

CS01-BANNERRB-SBPR copy

Code of Conduct, the first in the romantic suspense Cipher Security series of standalones, from April White is available now!

20190718_CS01_Code of Conduct_White_KDP_FINAL

There are three things you need to know about Shane P.I.
1) P.I. is not her last name, it's her job title,
2) Her specialty is catching cheaters, and
3) She's a superhuman - kind of.
Gabriel is a security expert for Cipher Security, and a former UN Peacekeeper with a fierce protective streak that finds its focus on the beautiful P.I.
Their attraction is like an elephant in a room full of breakable things, and figuring out how to trust each other with their hearts, and maybe their lives, is the most fragile thing of all.
'Code of Conduct' is a full-length romantic suspense novel, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Cipher Security series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Universe.

CS01-LIVE

Download your copy today!
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2m0Tjm3
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2lZklKt

About April White
April White has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books.
Her first novel, Marking Time is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and all five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy.

Connect with April
Connect with Smartypants Romance

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Blog Tour: A Lie for a Lie


From the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series comes a romantic comedy about instant attraction, second chances, and not-so-little white lies.
Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.
Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.
A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! 
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2MTMWOC

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2MJpbIG



Excerpt


I stuff my earbuds in and cue up a movie on my entertainment console. After the last flight, I deserve three hours of brain candy.
Just as I settle on an action flick, a body lands in my lap. At first, I think I’m being accosted—yet again. It’s not unusual for women to literally throw themselves at me. Typically I’m not on a plane, though, but considering my last flight I shouldn’t be surprised by anything right now. “What the—”
“I’m so sorry!” says the voice attached to the body in my lap. She scrambles to right herself but jerks back, gagging, her tidal wave of silky, dark hair slapping me in the face. It smells like mint and cucumber, which would be nice if it weren’t in my mouth.
She grabs my shirt with one hand and catches my earbuds, yanking them free. The other hand curls under the fabric wrapped tightly around her throat. She’s sprawled across my lap, legs hanging over the armrest, face level with mine. She’s totally blocking the aisle, making it impossible for anyone to get by and creating quite the spectacle. “My scarf is caught,” she rasps. “Oh my God. I’m choking myself. I’m so sorry. This is so embarrassing.” The more she struggles, the more the scarf tightens, which in turn causes her to flail.
I slide a supporting arm behind her. “Stay still for a sec.”
She freezes, still gripping my shirt, eyes wide with panic. I turn my head to the side and lean forward. Her lips connect with my cheek.
“Oh!” She tries to turn away, but she really is stuck, so her nose ends up in my ear and her lips are still pressed against my jaw.
“Just give me a few more seconds, and you’ll be free.” She exhales heavily against my jaw, warm breath making my skin prickle. I lift her carry-on and use my foot to pull the scarf free from the wheel.
She loosens the fabric around her throat, dragging in a long, deep breath. “Thank you. So much. Choking to death on an attractive man’s lap really isn’t the way I wanted to go.” She squeezes her eyes shut and pushes to a stand. “I’m so sorry.”
She keeps her gaze averted as she gathers up the scarf that never seems to end. It gives me time to check her out. Well, shit. This woman is hot. Like Pour a gallon of gasoline on me and light me on fire hot. She has long dark hair, a shade of brown so deep it’s nearly black. Her eyes are the color of coffee or chocolate—something with caffeine in it. Something that would amp me up. And her face . . . daaaaamn. High cheekbones, full lips, a dainty nose, arched brows, thick lashes.
I take in the rest of the package, which gives me pause because her outfit is just . . . out there. She’s wearing a full-on parka, hiding her figure, but based on her legs I’m thinking she’s probably slender. That’s a guess, though, with all the layers she has going on. And that scarf has to be a mile long with how many times she winds it around her neck, hence the near strangulation.
Her little wardrobe malfunction has resulted in a line of people waiting to board, so she rushes down the aisle, throwing another “So sorry” over her shoulder as she disappears into coach.
I’m almost disappointed. Almost, but not quite. I plug my earbuds back in and veg out to movies for the next three hours.

About Helena Hunting 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She's writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy. 


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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Book Blast: Miss Felicity's Dilemma


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

ALL SHE WANTS IS HER OWN HOME

Miss Felicity Chambers is the new teacher of piano and deportment at Miss Manville’s Academy for Superior Girls. There is no reason a duke should contact her. There is certainly no reason she should marry his son. But that is evidently what the duke wants. Felicity should be delighted. But the orphaned schoolteacher has long since stopped believing in fairy tales. If only the duke’s son weren’t so compelling…

ALL HE WANTS IS THIS HOME

Lord Flint Bracken knows just what is behind the duke’s command, and it isn’t an attempt to secure a happily-ever-after for his son. The proposal is one of the duke’s schemes. Flint has no choice but to cooperate, though, or he risks more than his home. He risks national security. So court a penniless schoolteacher he must. He should be furious. But Felicity Chambers isn’t at all what he expected. She might very well be what he wants…

Read an Excerpt

It wasn't until she heard the door close that she breathed a sigh of relief. Time to escape from under the bed.

“Aren’t you growing cramped under there?” Lord Flint suddenly asked.

Felicity’s eyes flew open to find an upside-down face where the boots had been. Her heart dropped like a stone.

“Not at all,” she said, proud at how composed she sounded. “I am quite petite. But you really should have someone sweep under here. The dust balls are the size of wolfhounds.”

He reached a hand under the bed. For a moment Felicity just stared at it, unable to move. Even in the shadows it was a beautiful hand, with long, elegant fingers and a strong wrist. And she noticed beautiful hands. She was also, after all, the substitute art teacher for Miss Manners Academy for Superior Girls.

“I'm getting a crick in my neck,” Lord Flint growled, wiggling his fingers.

Felicity gave up and took hold. And gasped. It felt as if she'd been rubbing her stockinged feet on the carpet on a cold winter’s day and gotten a shock. She had heard of such a thing, of course, in every Minerva Press novel she had ever secreted under her pillow. But she had always thought it a literary device. A myth.

That was no myth tingling up her arm.

Before she had a chance to do more than stare at the offending member, Lord Flint grasped her tightly and pulled her out from under the bed. She came out in a tangle of arms and legs, dragging dust after her.

How mortifying, she thought, brushing madly at her sensible gray kerseymere skirts.

“Er....”

She looked up and forgot what she was going to say. She forgot her name.

He was beautiful. Tall and lean and russet-haired, with eyes the color of spring leaves and a humorous cant to his mouth. Chiseled features, square shoulders, slim hips. Hard and sharp as quartz.

Suddenly his name wasn’t so funny.

About the Author:
New York Times Bestselling, award-winning author Eileen Dreyer has published 40 novels and 10 short stories under her name and that of her evil twin, Kathleen Korbel in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, mystery and medical forensic suspense. A proud member of RWA's Hall of FAME, she also has numerous awards from RT BookLovers and an Anthony nomination for mystery. She is now focusing on what she calls historic romantic adventure in her DRAKE'S RAKES series. A native of St. Louis, she still lives there with her family. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight.

http://eileendreyer.com/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/eileen-dreyer
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19012.Eileen_Dreyer
https://www.amazon.com/Eileen-Dreyer/e/B000AQ3F2O/
https://www.facebook.com/EileenDreyer/
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https://www.instagram.com/eileendreyerauthor/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Miss-Felicitys-Dilemma-Drakes-Rakes-ebook/dp/B07WWJSFJW
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/miss-felicitys-dilemma-eileen-dreyer/1133345594?ean=2940163616749
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/miss-felicity-s-dilemma
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/miss-felicitys-dilemma/id1478890709

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Sunday, October 13, 2019

Sunday Post #33: What Do You Think? 4



Yes, it's another one. I didn't intend to continue with this kind of Sunday Posts. However, I enjoy reading what people see in my simple drawings. What do you see?Feel? (If Anything)


Random movement of an eight ounce glass

Post Rewind

📌 3rd =Book Blast: Live Soldier

📌 8th = Release Blitz: Baking Me Crazy

📌 9th = Review Tour: Cross Crease

📌 10th = Book Blast: Ropin' the Moon

📌 11th =Book Blast: Wait

Moolt Cartoon of the Week

No cartoon this week

"Heads Up" - Upcoming Posts

🔼 15th = Book Blast: Miss Felicity's Dilemma

Goodreads

📚 Cross Crease ( by: Elizabeth Hartey ) = moved to "read" shelf

📚Cross Stroke ( by: Elizabeth Hartey) = added to "want to read" shelf

Currently Reading

📖 Rescue Me (by: Valerie Twombly) = 6%

*** If you don't know what to say on this week's Sunday Post topic, you can comment on any other part of the post or just say "hi".

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba Caffeinated Book Reviewer