Book Blast & #Giveaway for Drop Dead Handsome by M.K. Scott

Welcome to my stop on the Book Blast Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for Drop Dead Handsome by M.K. Scott.  Please leave a comment or question for M.K. to let them know you stopped by. You may enter their tour wide giveaway, where several gift cards will be awarded to randomly chosen commenters during the tour, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  Good Luck!

Drop Dead Handsome

By M.K. Scott

The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries, Book 2

Publisher:  Sleeping Dragon Press

Release Date: June 30, 2016

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Length: 178 Pages

ISBN: 9781311210784

ASIN: B01EQML0RO

Buy Links:  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon MX | Smashwords | Kobo | iTunes | B&N

About the book:

The Painted Lady Inn is open for business and limping along in the B and B world. A high school reunion package assembles Donna’s least desirable classmates, including the backstabbing cheerleader, her narcissistic high school crush, and Arnie, whose cheesy poem had everyone calling her, hot mama. It’s all something she liked to forget. These are the normal guests.

An octogenarian self-proclaimed sleuth, Father Christmas, a dognapping couple, and a pair who is copying everything in the Inn to set up their own competitive establishment rounds out the group. Maria, the sister-in-law, has a matchmaking agenda for Donna. Daniel, her brother, finds himself serving as a referee with one guest’s multiple wives.

High school reunions can be murder. Detective Mark Taber is on the trail of the murderer, when he isn’t interfering in a smitten Arnie’s determined bid to woo the no nonsense innkeeper.

EXCERPT

By the time, she had the salts swept up and the broom stowed, Terri arrived. The woman swept in with the same arrogance Cleopatra must have shown entering Rome. A disdainful head tilt announced she’d been in grander accommodations. No mistaking the woman, she looked the same, only tighter as if her skin had shrunk, making her face all angles without any soft curves.

“Hello, Gentry, Terri, I have a reservation.”

Donna repressed an urge to remark that her presence made a reservation self-evident. “Yes, you do. Welcome to The Painted Lady Inn. Here’s your gift basket.” She pushed the remaining basket in Terri’s direction.

The woman pawed through the contents as her lips pulled down in a frown. “The bath salts that were advertised on the website ad are missing.”

Before she could answer, Terri continued.

“No way, I can carry it and my luggage upstairs. I guess it’s too much to expect a backwater establishment like this would have an elevator?” Her sneer announced she already knew the answer.

“Here at The Painted Lady Inn, we strive for authenticity.” It seemed a better answer than no, we don’t have an elevator.

Terri raised both eyebrows as she stared down at Donna, who had picked up both the woman’s suitcase and basket. Normally, the woman wouldn’t have anything on her height wise, but with her hunched over like Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, she was at a disadvantage.

What did she have in the suitcase? Bricks? She stood, straightening her back and retaining as much dignity as possible. “You’re in B2.”

“Hmm. Should I assume there’s no running water?”

Count to ten. She inhaled deeply. While she didn’t think it was possible, the woman had grown even more malicious with age. “Excuse me?” Maybe she hadn’t heard right.

“If you’re trying to return to Victorian times, then they wouldn’t have running water.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

M. K. Scott is the husband and wife writing team behind The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries. Morgan K Wyatt is the general wordsmith, while her husband, Scott, is the grammar hammer and physics specialist. He uses his engineering skills to explain how fast a body falls when pushed over a cliff and various other felonious activities. The Internet and experts in the field provide forensic information, while the recipes and B and B details require a more hands on approach.  Morgan’s daughter who manages a hotel provides guest horror stories to fuel the plot lines. The couple’s dog, Chance, is the inspiration behind Jasper, Donna’s dog.  Murder Mansion is the first book in The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries. Overall, it is a fun series to create and read. Drop Dead Handsome is the second book in the series. Killer Review should be out in October 2016.

Social Media

Website    http://www.morgankwyatt.com/

Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMorganKWyatt

Twitter  http://www.twitter.com/morgankwyatt

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826299.Morgan_K_Wyatt

Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/morgankwyatt/

 tsu  http://www.tsu.co/MorganKWyatt

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blurb Blitz Tour & #Giveaway for Jigsaw by Stella Barcelona

Welcome to my stop on the Blurb Blitz Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for Jigsaw by Stella Barcelona.  Please leave a comment or question for Stella to let her know you stopped by. You may enter her tour wide giveaway, where one randomly drawn commenter will be a $50 Amazon/BN GC, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  Good Luck!

Jigsaw

By Stella Barcelona

Black Raven, Book 2

Publisher: Stella Barcelona

Release Date: June 30, 2016

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Thriller

Length: 456 Pages

ASIN: B01FQ2UDA8

Buy Link:  Amazon

About the book: 

Foraging the cyber-world for puzzle pieces…

Zeus Hernandez, a Black Raven partner, is pulled away from a top-secret project to be the personal bodyguard to lawyer Samantha Fairfax. Terrorists have rendered the future frightening and uncertain, but Zeus and Samantha’s past makes two things crystal clear: she’ll be furious to see him and he can’t refuse the job.

Sorting pieces as stakes rise…

Danger surrounds the International Terrorism Tribunal, a court convened to combat terrorism. Samantha is thrust into the limelight when her mentor dies as the trial convenes in Paris, France. Her role requires steadfast focus and nerves of steel. She’s determined to do her job and move her life ahead, according to plan…without Zeus. He’s determined she’ll reconsider.

Completing the puzzle as their worlds collide…

As personal drama escalates behind closed doors, terrorists take aim at an Achilles’ heel that is capable of crippling Zeus, Samantha, and Black Raven. While forcing puzzle pieces to click into place, a personal reckoning looms for these two strong-willed people. There’s no denying they might be better off apart…but they fit together so well.

EXCERPT

Black Raven was her grandfather’s go-to security company, and he’d already made the hiring call by the time he first told her his idea. With steadfast insistence, and continued reference to the horrors of terrorist acts that the ITT was examining, he’d worn her down in repeated phone calls. She’d given her grandfather one stipulation; she’d agree to Black Raven protection, but she did not want Jesus Hernandez to have anything to do with her on-site security detail. She didn’t want to see him or hear from him, and she damn well expected her grandfather to make this happen without it becoming an issue.

Jesus Hernandez.

Zeus to anyone who knew him.

Once, years earlier, she’d known him well. Or so she’d thought. Turned out she hadn’t known him at all. She focused her gaze on the intricately cut crystal water pitcher that the waiter placed on the table. In the last twenty-four hours, she’d been too busy with work to worry about whether her grandfather had truly understood the gravity with which she’d made the stipulation. She hadn’t intended the demand as a request. She hadn’t intended it as something her grandfather could consider and reject.

Now, with the hard knock marking the arrival of the private security company and the literal changing of the guard for the amicus team, her stomach twisted into a hard, nervous ball. Samuel knew the reasons why she didn’t want Zeus there. At least he knew some of the reasons why. Surely her grandfather had damn well listened to her?

Knock. Knock. The email notification finally flashed that the message and the attachments were ‘sent.’ The cc copy that she’d sent to herself appeared in her inbox, with an accompanying ding, just as Lorenzo put a vase of fresh flowers on the worktable that he’d transformed into a dining table.

“Done,” she said, shutting down her laptop and standing. “Thank you for all your hard work today.” As Lorenzo stepped away from the table, she said, “Lorenzo, the table is beautiful. Merci beaucoup.”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She walked across the room as Charles signed for the room service. She opened the door. Zeus, arm lifted and fingers curled together as he prepared to rap on the door again, towered over her five seven by a good ten inches. Dropping his arm to his side, he gave her a cool nod, his brusque manner suggesting a nod was all that was needed to bridge the gap between his decision to leave her and the intervening seven years. “Hello, Sam.”

 AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Stella Barcelona has always had an active imagination, a tendency to daydream, and a passion for reading romance, mysteries, and thrillers.  She has found an outlet for all of these aspects of herself by writing romantic thrillers.

In her day-to-day life, Stella is a lawyer and works for a court in New Orleans. She lives minutes from the French Quarter, with her husband of seventeen years and two adorable papillons who believe they are princesses. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Southern Louisiana Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Her first novel, DECEIVED, was inspired by New Orleans, its unique citizens, and the city’s World War II-era history. Her second novel, SHADOWS, began her Black Raven series.

She is currently working on her fourth novel, CONCIERGE, another Black Raven novel, which will be released in 2017.

Website: www.stellabarcelona.com

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt Tour & #Giveaway for A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard

Welcome to my stop on the Excerpt Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard.  Please leave a comment or question for Charlotte to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway, where one randomly chosen winner will be awarded a $15 Amazon/BN GC, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  Good Luck!

A Simple Vow

By Charlotte Hubbard

Simple Gifts Trilogy, Book 1

Publisher:  Zebra (An imprint of Kensington Books)

Release Date: May 31, 2016

Genre: Inspirational Romance (Amish)

Length: 368 Pages

ISBN: 9781420138696

ASIN: B01501H29A

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play | Kensington | IndieBound | Omnilit  | The Book Depository | B-A-M |  Chapters |  Powell’s  

About the book:

Housed in a rustic red barn, the Simple Gifts crafts shop celebrates the talents of the Amish of Willow Ridge—and the faith that inspires them. For the acceptance of simplicity opens the path to love.

As far as Edith Riehl is concerned, the baby twins thrust suddenly into her arms are a heaven-sent gift. Unable to conceive, she longs to be a mother with a home of her own. She’s going to abide by her promise to handsome Asa Detweiler to take care of them while he looks for their real father. And even if her domineering dat Cornelius refuses to countenance Asa’s suit, she can only pray the bachelor’s honesty and persistence will uncover the truth—even as he’s kindled an impossible hope for a love of her own…

Asa can’t understand why anyone would think he would be so dishonorable as to father babies and then abandon them. He’s determined to clear his name—but Edith’s caring ways also inspire him to help heal her wounded spirit and earn her trust. In the face of heartbreaking deception, he and Edith must find the strength to understand, forgive…and claim their own hearts’ joy.

Exclusive Excerpt

“I’ve come to ask you—your family—a huge favor,” Will pleaded. He looked pale and his eyes had dark circles around them. “I—I have no idea how I’m going to care for these kids, what with Molly dying. They’re only six months old, Edith. I was hoping you and your sisters would take them until I can get my life together and—”

Edith’s eyes widened. “Is there no one in Molly’s family, or—”

“That’s just it,” Will continued in a desperate tone. “Molly’s mamm and grandmother were there at her deathbed when she blurted out this guy’s name—”

“She was no doubt delirious and unaware of what she was saying,” Edith murmured.

“—and then when Molly passed on, her grandmother had a heart attack from all the stress and went to the hospital,” Will went on doggedly. “Molly’s mother isn’t speaking to me now. I’ve had a lot of stuff thrown at me these past several weeks, what with my wife being too sick to tend the babies. I trust you Riehl sisters to care for the twins until I get through Molly’s funeral and then figure out, well—what to do with them. Please, Edith?”

It was indeed a huge favor Will was asking, but how could she refuse? The babies had almost stopped crying. Edith gazed at their precious faces as she swayed from side to side, calming them. By the sound of Will’s incredibly sad story, these helpless little souls might not have anyone looking after them—for how long? “Of course we’ll take them,” she murmured, “but we don’t have any diapers or bottles or—”

“I brought all that stuff. I was looking for your house when this guy”—Will glowered, pointing at the other man— “caught up to me and claimed I’d accused him falsely.”

The stranger looked ready to protest again, but instead he crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. Behind him, his tall black horse nickered impatiently.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Many moons ago—like, in 1983 while she was still a school librarian—Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. This launched her into writing around seventy of those “true confessions” stories over the years, and she’s been a slave to her overactive imagination ever since. Over the course of her writing career, she has sold nearly 50 books—most recently, Amish romance series she’s written as Charlotte Hubbard or Naomi King.

Charlotte lived in Missouri for most of her life, so her Amish stories are set in imaginary Missouri towns. These days she lives in St. Paul, MN with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Ramona.

WEBSITE   www.CharlotteHubbard.com

FACEBOOK    www.facebook.com/charlotte.hubbard1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday - June 29, 2016 Edition

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where bloggers can showcase upcoming books they are excited about with readers and other bloggers. 

I’m really excited about this week’s showcase, it’s the next book in a series I’ve been reading and reviewing from the start.  Diane Vallere has become one of my auto-read authors and I can't wait to see what's going to happen when Poly designs the gowns for the beauty pageant and has to investigate another murder.  

Silk Stalkings 

By Diane Vallere

A Material Witness Mystery, Book 3

Release Date: August 2, 2016

Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe can get tangled up in textiles, but it’s murder that really throws her for a loop in the latest mystery from the national bestselling author of Crushed Velvet.

The time has come for San Ladrón, California’s annual Miss Tangorli beauty pageant, and Poly has agreed to use Material Girl’s inventory of shimmery silks to create embellished gowns fit for a crown. But when millionaire Harvey Halliwell—the man who revived the city’s citrus trade with his imported tangorli tree—is found dead days before the pageant contestants are announced, something sour takes over the town.

To make matters worse, her friend, mechanic Charlie Brooks, is soon caught up in the crime, having been seen in the company of the case’s prime suspect. Now Poly’s on a mission to squeeze out the truth. But as she searches for a pattern, the killer seems intent on cutting up the evidence...  

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link below and at Breaking the Spine. 

Release Day Blkitz & #Giveaway for Miss Darcy's New Companion by Cheryl Bolen

Welcome to my stop on the Release Day Blitz, presented by Book Partners in Crime, for Miss Darcy’s New Companion by Cheryl Bolen.  Please leave a comment or question for Cheryl to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.   

Miss Darcy's New Companion:
A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Cheryl Bolen

Series: Jane Austen Sequels, Book 1

Genre: Historical Regency Romance

Publisher: Harper & Appleton
Release Date: June 28, 2016

As the Darcys are about to embark on their wedding trip to Italy, they lose the capable service of Miss Darcy's long-time companion. What will they do? They cannot leave dear Georgiana without a proper lady for a companion. Elizabeth Darcy's aunt comes to their rescue, recommending the lovely spinster Lucy Wetherspoon, whose family she has long known.

Darcy also asks his neighbor, Lord Fane, to watch out for Georgiana in their absence. At two and thirty, Lord Fane has decided he needs to wed an heiress to restore his ancestral pile. Miss Darcy's fortune is just what he needs.

Then he meets the shabbily dressed Miss Wetherspoon, and his world is utterly shaken by the profound feelings the beautiful woman elicits in him. After meddling from misguided-but-well-meaning Mr. Collins, Lord Fane's honor demands he offer for Georgiana Darcy though his heart will ever belong to her shabbily dressed companion.

Cheryl Bolen is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 20 romances, both historical and contemporary mystery. Many of her books have placed in contests, including the Daphne du Maurier (romantic suspense) and have been translated into ten languages. She was Notable New Author in 1999. In 2006 she won the Holt Medallion, Best Historical, and in 2012 she won Best Historical in the International Digital Awards and she's had four other titles place in that competition. Her 2011 Christmas novella was named Best Novella in the Romance Through the Ages. She invites readers to www.CherylBolen.com, or her blog, www.cherylsregencyramblings.wordpress.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheryl-Bolen-Books/146842652076424.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blurb Blitz Tour & #Giveaway for Marionettes by Kerry Alan Denney

Welcome to my stop on the Blurb Blitz Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for Marionettes by Kerry Alan Denney.  Please leave a comment or question for Kerry to let him know you stopped by.  You may enter his tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  Good Luck

Marionettes

By Kerry Alan Denney

Publisher:  Juju Mojo Publications

Release Date: May 31, 2016

Genre: Supernatural Thriller

Length: 300 Pages

ISBN: 978-1530328406

ASIN:  B01DEEJJF0

Buy on Amazon 

About the book:

Resuscitated after he drowns and dies in a flood, David Flint discovers he has returned from the other side with an uncanny ability: He can “jump” into people’s bodies and minds, and control their thoughts and actions.

David believes it's a gift, and wants to use it to help people. Then four members of a ruthless drug ring savagely attack his fiancée and leave her in a coma, and David tries to use his new power to destroy the whole ring. But the ringleader, a voodoo priest known as the Zombie Master, is a formidable man with a deadly secret: He has the same incredible ability as David.

When the two human marionette masters clash in a brutal bloody showdown, using the ring’s members as their puppets, David discovers he’s battling for much more than his life—he’s fighting to rid the world of an evil human abomination.

Marionettes illuminates the greatest achievements of the human spirit and the darkest corridors of our minds, and answers the age-old question: What are the consequences of absolute power?

EXCERPT

In the first “dream” I was a plump black woman striding down a hospital corridor, joyfully belting out a gospel tune. Although I’d never heard it before, I knew all the lyrics and melodies. This was odd, for though I was a luthier by trade, I could barely carry a tune in a bucket. My specialty was wood and strings, so it was a joy to hear “my” mellifluous voice ring out in the hospital hallway.

“Hi, Danielle,” an attractive nurse greeted me as I passed her.

“Hey, Julia,” I said, returning to the tune without losing rhythm.

How did I know who Julia was? I looked down at my feet, clad in regulation white shoes, and heard the swish of my green scrubs as my thick thighs rubbed them together.

“Trippy” didn’t come close to defining the moment. It was as real as anything I ever felt or knew.

I’m a thirty-five-year-old white man, not a fifty-something stout black female nurse with enormous breasts. And yet I was, now. I was intimately familiar with “my” body, and suddenly knowledgeable about medical terminology and equipment.

I/Danielle turned and entered a patient’s room, still singing about Jesus. I knew it was grumpy old Mr. Dayton’s room, but was clueless as to how I knew that. I also knew Mr. Dayton suffered from cirrhosis and hepatitis because he couldn’t stay off the sauce, and though they were only words denoting diseases to David Flint the guitar and violin maker, the “me" that was Danielle knew exactly what they meant.

“I need a damn drink,” Dayton grumbled.

“We don’t serve alcohol in this hospital, Mr. Dayton.”

“Wanna go home. Shouldn’t have to be here.”

“You know you have to have that surgery, Mr. D,” I said, and clucked my tongue, which is something I would never do.

“Changed my mind. Need a drink. Bad.”

“Drinking is what put you here in the first place.”

“Don’t care. Hurtin’ for a drink.”

This was too much for me, too real to be a dream. Mr. Dayton reminded me too much of my father, after Mother died.

I wanted out of the dream, and just like that, as if my wish precipitated it, I woke in my hospital bed, head pounding and throat on fire. For a while there was pain, my dependable old friend, but this was pain of the body and mind, not of the heart and spirit. I struggled again for the memory of what happened to me, but the harder I strained for it, the darker and more forbidding the encroaching waters became.

Unable to find the elusive memory, I turned what was left of my mind to trying to discern which was the dream and which was reality—if, in fact, there was any reality for me anymore. The blend became even more confusing when the pretty angel/nurse visited me again.

“Try to turn your head face up, David, so I can give you some ice chips,” she said.

 AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Colleagues and readers have dubbed Kerry Alan Denney The Reality Bender. The multiple award-winning author of the paranormal thrillers Dreamweavers (Juju Mojo Publications, August 2015) and Soulsnatcher (Juju Mojo Publications, April 2014), the post-apocalyptic sci-fi/ horror thriller Jagannath (Permuted Press, February 2015), and numerous short stories published online and in anthologies, Kerry blends elements of the supernatural, paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror in his work: speculative fiction at its wildest and craziest. With joy, malicious glee, and a touch of madness, he writes reality-bending thrillers, even when the voices don’t compel him to. His protagonists are his children, and he loves them as dearly as he despises his antagonists... even when he has to kill them.

On July 24, 2015, Jagannath became a #1 Amazon bestseller. On March 31, 2015, Soulsnatcher won 2nd Place as 2014 Book of the Year in The Drunken Druid’s International Book Award competition. Jagannath and Soulsnatcher each received a rave blurb from New York Times bestselling author James Rollins.

Kerry lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia with his golden retriever Holly Jolly, a veteran professional Therapy Dog, where he is currently writing his next supernatural thriller... and deciding who to kill in it.

Be on the lookout for Kerry’s new post-apocalyptic/ paranormal thriller A Mighty Rolling Thunder, coming December 3, 2016 from Burning Willow Press.

Kerry’s website:

http://www.kerrydenney.com

Follow Kerry on his Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/Kerry-Alan-Denney/e/B00K378HHS

Follow Kerry on Twitter:

@KerryDenney https://twitter.com/KerryDenney

Kerry’s Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8187822.Kerry_Alan_Denney

Kerry’s Facebook Author/ Fan Page:

https://www.facebook.com/KerryAlanDenneyTheRealityBender

Join Kerry on Google+:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/102464185794371169075/posts

DREAMWEAVERS on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Dreamweavers-Kerry-Alan-Denney-ebook/dp/B013C9QH66

JAGANNATH on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Jagannath-Kerry-Alan-Denney-ebook/dp/B00SSGAHBK

SOULSNATCHER on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XINW892

Kerry’s short stories:

http://www.kerrydenney.com/published-short-stories.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blurb Blitz Tour & #Giveaway for Contemporary Romances from Lyrical Press

Welcome to my stop on the Blurb Blitz Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for the June 7, 2016 Lyrical Press Contemporary Romance releases including Working It by Leah Marie Brown, Spooning Daisy by Maggie McConnell, Not Second Best by Christa Maurice, and Could This Be Love by Lee Kilraine.  Please leave a comment or question for any of the authors to let them know you stopped by.  You may enter their tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may also follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  Good Luck!

Working It

By Leah Marie Brown

It Girls, Book 3

Buy Links:  Kindle, Apple, Google, Kobo, Nook

About the book:

With her trust fund and coveted job at Christian Dior, Fanny Moreau believes she has it all. But when her best friend finds a fulfilling new career abroad—and a dreamy relationship with a great guy, Fanny’s fabulous life suddenly feels empty. Inspired to find her true purpose, she trades her cushy lifestyle in San Francisco for an adventure in the Alaskan wilderness.

Everyone thinks Fanny has gone off the deep end. What’s a girl with a Ph.D in Prada doing teaching in an Inuit village? Even Fanny is wondering, especially when she comes face to face with Calder MacFarlane. The Scottish search and rescue pilot is everything Fanny is not—selfless, heroic, and used to living on the edge. He’s also the man who once loved her best friend. Yet something in Calder’s sexy gaze has her believing that she’s a woman capable of great things—a woman who might just find her own happily-ever-after, in a place where she least expects it.

EXCERPT

The worst day of my life started with an unfortunate spritz of perfume.

Every tragedy can be traced back to one fatal mistake, one seemingly insignificant miscalculation that sets into motion a series of small blunders resulting in utter catastrophe.

Take James Cameron winning the Oscar for Titanic over Gus Van Sant for Good Will Hunting. If the Titanic’s wireless operator had known how to work the Marconi efficiently, he might have translated the warning messages about ice in the area, the unsinkable ship would have remained afloat, and James Cameron wouldn’t have won the Oscar for a hopelessly insipid movie.

If Christian Lacroix had added jet beads to his pared-back coat dresses and peplum skirts, his ’09 Fall Collection might have been the buzz of the season; instead, fashion editors and snarky bloggers lamented the loss of his talent.

One seemingly insignificant snowball-sized mistake starts its journey down the mountain, and before you know it, a shit avalanche is descending upon you.

My best friend, Vivian—her name is Vivia, but I call her Vivian because it’s more glam—coined the phrase “shit avalanche.” It’s an unpalatably graphic and overblown phrase and not one I use often, but it superbly describes my situation.

My shit avalanche started with an unwelcome spritz of Kitty Kat’s Purrfect. Kitty Kat, the bubblegum pop singing phenom, might know a thing or two about writing hit songs, but she doesn’t know a thing about the delicate art of blending scents to create an intoxicating perfume.

How could a spritz of perfume cause a disaster?

I will start at the awful beginning, but only because I hope my tragic story will serve as a cautionary tale. The Titanic. James Cameron.

Christian Lacroix. Stéphanie Moreau. The world has suffered enough disasters. Read and learn, mon amie.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Leah Marie Brown has worked as a journalist and photographer. An avid traveler, she has had adventures and mishaps from Paris to Tokyo. She doesn't buy cheesy tee-shirts or useless bric-a-brac, but prefers friendships and memories as souvenirs from her travels. She lives a bike ride away from the white sand beaches of Florida’s Emerald Coast with her husband, children, and pampered poodles. She is hard at work on the next novel in The It Girls series, but loves to hear from readers. Please visit her website at www.leahmariebrown.com 

Publisher Page: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31669

Website: http://www.leahmariebrown.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leahmariebrown

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahmarie.brownauthor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spooning Daisy

By Maggie McConnell

Buy Links: Kindle, Apple, Google, Kobo, Nook

About the book:

Her mango chutney is exquisite; her blueberry sauce is to die for. But right now, Chef de Cuisine Daisy Moon is a woman without a kitchen--and without a fiancé. Unceremoniously dumped from her place of business and her relationship, Daisy sells her belongings, plus a few of her ex's, and packs her bags. Maybe smashing all the china in her former restaurant was a bad move. Stripped of her Golden Spoon for "un-chef-like" conduct, she is now blacklisted all over Seattle. Her sole job offer is from the Wild Man Lodge. . .in Otter Bite, Alaska.

Too bad Daisy can't even get out of Dodge without incident. By the time she boards a ship for Alaska, she's got a trail of new troubles behind her, and suddenly Otter Bite is sounding pretty good. But the vessel turns into her own personal Titanic when a series of close encounters confirms her terrible taste in men--including one very good looking bad luck charm named Max Kendall. She vows to dedicate the rest of her days to chowders and brulée. Yet even Alaska isn't far enough away to shake the memories of the sexy shipmate who rocked her cabin--and her world. Thank goodness she's done with surprises--but they may not be done with her. . .

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Golden Heart nominee Maggie McConnell spent her childhood in Asia and South America as the daughter of US diplomats. Attending college in Illinois, she earned a BA in Art and an MBA while working at the local animal shelter. At 26, she packed her dog and cat into a Ford truck and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska, where she spent 23 years exploring The Last Frontier in single-engine Cessnas. An animal-rights advocate and vegan, Maggie provides a sanctuary on her Arizona ranch for all creatures great and small. Her compass still points north.

Publisher Page: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31732 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not Second Best

By Christa Maurice

Drawn to the Rhythm, Book 5

Buy Links: Kindle, Apple, Google, Kobo, Nook

About the book:

As a lawyer at Touchstone management, Tessa's position brings her up close and personal to some of the world's biggest heartthrobs. Sometimes that intimacy crosses professional lines, which is understandable considering Tessa's impressive contact list. But when rock star Brian Ellis set her aside for the girl of his dreams, Tessa can't help wonder if "spinster aunt" is her true vocation. Which explains her hook-up with rising star Brett Cherney at Brian's celebrity wedding . . .

As the lead singer of BroRide, Brett has lived the rock-n-roll bad-boy lifestyle to the very hilt. But when the girl of his dreams marries fellow rocker Brian Ellis, he buries his disappointment in the arms of an older woman. The following morning, Brett realizes what he experienced was only the beginning of a song he's been trying to write all his life. It's a seductive theme, which Tessa falls for again and again, but getting her to believe they have a hit is turning out to be far from a sure thing . . .

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Christa Maurice has been obsessed with rock stars from early childhood when her older brother started randomly quizzing her on rock trivia. How many first graders know who the headliners were on the Black and Blue Tour? Christa did. (Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult.) When not listening to music and/or writing, she enjoys traveling, reading and science fiction. Readers can find Christa on Facebook, and visit her website at christamaurice.wordpress.com.

Publisher Page: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/29516

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/christamaurice  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Could This Be Love

By Lee Kilraine

Cates Brothers, Book 2

Buy Links: Kindle, Apple, Google, Kobo, Nook

About the book: 

Everyone in Climax, North Carolina, knows the Cates brothers. But Sijan Cates is famous far beyond his quaint hometown--and when he comes back, he brings trouble with him. . .

Avery Danford urgently needs to get back in touch with her estranged family. If only she could get her picture in the papers, maybe they'd track her down. . .and what better way to accomplish that than to squeeze into the world's tightest dress and cozy up to the world's hottest actor, Sijan Cates? It's a crazy idea, but it just might work. And though the former actress has sworn off Hollywood hunks, she's got to admit this desperate measure might be a pleasure. . .

Scandal-plagued Sijan has come home for some peace and quiet--and to stay out of the tabloids. Then a woman claiming to be his number-one fan plants a hot kiss on him--in front of a pack of paparazzi. There's only one way to protect his reputation: tell the world they're engaged. It's all just a show, as they use each other to get what they need. But in this sleepy Southern town, love stories have a way of coming true. . .

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A former Air Force spouse, Lee Kilraine moved seven times over eighteen years before finally settling with her husband in the pine woods of North Carolina. She has worked as a physical therapy aide, a cashier, a waitress, an English tutor, a ballet teacher and a stay-at-home mom. Holding tight to her mother’s motto, “There’s nothing you can’t do if you try hard enough,” Lee returned to college as an adult and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Writing thirty-one papers in two years (she counted) rekindled her love of writing, and she set her sights on her other dream—writing romance. When she isn’t swinging on her front porch swing or watching another of their four young adult children leave the nest (she swears she isn’t pushing them out!) you can find her typing away on her computer with her golden retriever, Harley, destroying something at her feet. Lee is a 2014 Golden Heart® Finalist.

Publisher Page: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31749

Website: http://www.leekilraine.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeeKilraine

a Rafflecopter giveaway