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A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove)
by Tessa Dare. Avon. 2011. And sequels. Library copies.
The Plot: 1813, England. Victor Bramwell is a lieutenant colonel in the army, and he's been wounded, and all he cares about is getting back into the army. So he'll do anything to prove that he is fit to return.
The Plot: 1813, England. Victor Bramwell is a lieutenant colonel in the army, and he's been wounded, and all he cares about is getting back into the army. So he'll do anything to prove that he is fit to return to service.
Susanna Finch lives in Spindle Cove, along with her father. Spindle Cove has earned itself the nickname Spinster Cove, because it's so well known as a bit of a dumping ground for ladies who don't fit into society. It's full of spinsters, ha ha ha.
And Susanna wants to keep Spindle Cove that way. She doesn't want people to know the truth about Spindle Cove: it's not a last resort. It's the best resort; a place where women who don't fit into society, or have been excluded, find a home and acceptance.
Bram's mission to start a local militia is going to be tough -- even more difficult because, well, Spindle Cove is full of women. Not military service ready men. Will Susanna be able to get rid of Bram and his soldiers in time to save Spindle Cove?
The Good: Spindle Cove! The shy and the introverted, but also the outspoken. The brainy. They are welcome and embraced and accepted at Spindle Cove -- at least, for now. A Night to Surrender is the first in a series, each about a different woman of Spindle Cove. Each there for a different reason. And, because of these reasons, it means the heroines of the series are each pretty unique, and independent. And it means that the heroes are those who value the unique. Spindle Cove is about women learning to be themselves, to be confident, and finding men who prize that. It's a feminist series, set in a time that isn't very feminist. The combinations are also interesting, because what matters are who the people are not what they are. Examples: a beautiful young woman and the local blacksmith. A Duke and a serving girl from a pub.
Spindle Cove is also very funny. I confess, I didn't see it as much in A Night to Surrender, but the second, A Week to Be Wicked, had me laughing out loud. And after that, I saw a lot to laugh about.
Also: hot and spicy!
While Spindle Cove is about a safe place, it doesn't hide that the world itself can be harsh. There is a reason, after all, why a refuge like Spinster Cove is needed. The backstory in A Lady by Midnight shows what happens to a young woman without resources or family, who has no options, but who still has to live and to provide for her child.
I have really enjoyed this series; so far there are four books and two novellas, with another novella this December and a new book next year. One nice thing about my recent romance reading is finding series like these, in which there are plenty of books in the series so I can power read one right after another.
Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love By Numbers)
by Sarah MacLean. Avon Books. 2010. Library Copy. Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord
2010; Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart 
2011.
The Plot: Regency England. The St. John twins are scandalous, for reasons beyond their control -- their mother famously abandoned children and husband -- and in their control...they are young, handsome, and Gabriel, the elder brother and the Marquess of Ralston, is a rake of the highest level.
When the twenty year old daughter of their mother's second marriage, Juliana, shows up on their doorstep, they recognize her as their sister and will do everything to have her socially accepted.
Lady Calpurnia is 28, plain, and because she wanted more than a husband looking for her fortune, she is unmarried. She realizes life has passed her by, and writes a list of what she would do, if only... if only she was a man, who acts, instead of a woman, who waits.
She makes a list... of the things she wants to do. And while Gabriel isn't on the list, a kiss is, and why not try for a kiss from the man she's had a crush on since forever?
The Good: Nine Rules was fun and hot; Callie is so well respected that Gabriel gets her help in introducing Juliana to society. And Gabriel is such a rake that Callie keeps running into him as she does the things that, if known, would make her not respectable. I liked this book; I liked Callie and her desire for more; I liked the level of spice. But, I'll be honest: I never warmed to Gabriel. I don't think he ever appreciated just how society had boxed Callie in. Basically, this volume, and Gabriel, just wasn't feminist enough for me. Gabriel never really "got it," and it seemed a bit like Callie was doing this more from being single than from being unhappy with society's limits.
BUT. I loved Callie, I loved her list, I loved her chance at love, I loved the spice.
And I LOVED Ten Ways, about Gabriel's younger twin brother, Nicholas. Nicholas is chasing after a runaway lady and encounters Lady Isabel Townsend. Isabel has been keeping home and family together, after her gambling father took off, permanently, to London, her mother died, and now her father is dead as well. But Isabel isn't just taking care of her younger brother...
Long story short, Isabel has created "Minerva House," a place where women can go, women who need a place of safety. Abused wives, pregnant girls, women with no options or choices. And if anyone finds out the truth, it'll all collapse. And here comes handsome Nicholas.... I loved the romance, I loved the spice, and I loved that Nicholas totally got what Isabel was doing and why.
Juliana's story is told in Eleven Scandals, which is her love story with the Duke of Leighton. The Duke, who avoids any hint of scandal and looks down on everyone who isn't him. Since Juliana is half-English and half-Italian and is arguably illegitimate, and the daughter of a merchant, with no title.... well. Yes. She's a scandal just by existing. And Juliana, like her brothers before her, both hates that she's being judged and also fights back with outrageous behavior.
It would be really, really easy to hate the Duke because he's so superior. But.... I found myself feeling sorry for him. Because just as Juliana and her brothers were shaped by their mother, so, too, has Simon been shaped by a world that told him, constantly, he was superior. I loved Eleven Scandals because, well, it brought him down a peg or two; he was made to see that he, and those he loved, were human. And there's nothing wrong with that.
And now I can't wait to read MacLean's A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels (Rules of Scoundrels)
, both because I enjoyed these books and because I understand there is at least some overlap in characters.
Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Have you written a romance novel this year? You can submit your manuscript to Avon Impulse, a new digital imprint at HarperCollins’ Avon Books.
They accept both unagented and agented submissions, and the guidelines had this note: “Avon Impulse authors may also be considered for the traditional Avon Romance publishing program.” Read the complete submission guidelines before submitting your book.
Here’s more from the publisher: “We encourage creativity, so feel free to impress us with what you’ve got! We also have our eye out for great submissions in the following subgenres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Futuristic, Ghost, Gothic, Historical, Magical, Time Travel, Western, Shifter, Small Town, Steampunk, Suspense, Vampire (and others).”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Avon is having an eBook sale! These digital romances are all on sale for $1.99 for a limited time only. Clicking the cover will take you to the Amazon product page.
Have you read any? Can you recommend any of these?
At the Duke’s Pleasure by Tracy Anne Warren
All the Byrons are just as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" as their famous non-relation . . . but now the time has come for the eldest son to marry . . .
Edward Byron, Duke of Clybourne, has everything a man in Society needs . . . except a wife. Duty requires he wed, so he decides that a long-standing arranged marriage will do nicely. He knows his bride is beautiful, biddable, and bright enough to run his household and nursery. He expects his betrothed, Lady Claire Marsden, will be thrilled with his decision—unfortunately, she’s not!
Claire has longed for Edward since she was sixteen, but how can he expect her to agree to his proposal when he barely knows her and doesn’t love her? Nothing will convince her to accept a loveless marriage. And so she begins a battle of outrageous resistance, forcing Edward to learn that he must lose his heart in order to win his bride.
The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long
A rescued rogue . . .
Scandal has rocked the city of London. Colin Eversea, a handsome, reckless unapologetic rogue is sentenced to hang for murder and, inconveniently for him, the only witness to the crime disappears. Then again, throughout history, the Everseas have always managed to cheat fate in style: Colin is snatched from the gallows by a beautiful, clever mercenary.
A captivating captor. . .
Cool-headed, daring Madeleine Greenway is immune to Colin’s vaunted charm. Her mission is not to rescue Colin but to kidnap him, and to be paid handsomely for it. But when it becomes clear that whoever wants Colin alive wants Madeline dead, the two become uneasy allies in a deadly race for truth. Together, they’ll face great danger—and a passion neither can resist.
A Well Pleasured Lady by Christina Dodd
Prim, plain, desperately virtuous Lady Mary Fairchild stared at the seductive gentleman and wondered — did he remember the elements of the night they met? Surely not. In the ten years since, she had abandoned her youthful impetuousness and transformed herself into a housekeeper — disguising her beauty beneath a servant’s dour clothing determined to conquer the passions of the past.
But Sebastian Durant, Viscount Whitfield, did recognize her as a Fairchild, one of his family’s bitter enemies. When he demanded her help recovering a stolen diary, she dared not refuse him. When he proposed they masquerade as a betrothed couple, loyalty forced her to agree. And when the restraint between them shattered and pleasure became an obsession, Mary had to trust a powerful man who could send her to the gallows … or love her through eternity.
Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke
One of Daphne Wade’s guilty pleasures is to watch the Duke of Tremore as he works, shirtless, on the excavation site of his ducal estate. Anthony Courtland is by far the most exciting and handsome man she has ever known, and she dreams of one day being able to speak with him without getting tongue tied.
Anthony, meanwhile, only sees Daphne as a hard worker on his excavation team. He considers her a plain young lady and says so in a careless remark to a friend, unaware that Daphne is outside the library door, her heart shattering to pieces. So Daphne decides she will not be so silly any longer. She begins to be tutored in the social graces, forcing Anthony to see the beauty who has been right in front of his eyes.
The Pleasure of Her Kiss by Linda Needham
The dashing rogue is finally coming home to claim the exquisite stranger who is living there, a willful beauty he barely knows . . . his bride.
Avon is having an eBook sale! These digital romances are all on sale for $1.99 for a limited time only. Clicking the cover will take you to the Amazon product page. Check back tomorrow for a few more bargains!
Have you read any of these? Which would you recommend?
To Pleasure a Duke by Sarah Bennett
It has taken Eugenie Belmont but a moment to decide whom to marry . . .
Unfortunately the gentleman in question, the Duke of Somerton, hasn’t yet offered—a mere formality for a confirmed member of the Husband Hunters Club of Miss Debenham’s Finishing School. Like her friends, Eugenie is unwilling to wait demurely until the perfect mate happens by. And, despite the handsome duke’s imposing reputation, she can feel his heated glances in her direction are charged with desire . . . and possibilities.
Saddled with a dukedom, a haughty dowager,and an irresponsible younger sister, Sinclair St. John is far too occupied with important matters to indulge in romantic whims. But for the first time in his life, a brazen temptress has him utterly distracted. He could—and he should—dismiss her and court someone more befitting his station. But he is irresistibly drawn to this bewitching woman . . . and must match her game of seduction, move for passionate move.
His Christmas Pleasure by Cathy Maxwell
Anything can happen at Christmas!
When her father threatens to marry Abigail Montross off to a man twice her age (and with thirteen children!), she decides to elope instead with the irresistibly handsome Baron de Vasconia. She knows all about his notorious reputation. He is the most seductive man in all of London, but he’s vowed to protect her, so she allows herself to be tempted into his bed, promising to guard her heart at all costs.
Andres believes he’s entered into nothing more than a marriage of convenience with a charming and very wealthy young woman. But the days—and nights—Abigail spends in his arms soon reform this rogue. He’ll do anything to gain her love—until they each discover the truth about the other and old wounds are revealed.
It’s the season of miracles and passion—when love not only awakens the senses but delivers the greatest gift of all . . .
Sinful Pleasures by Mary Reed McCall
A Noble Knight…
Once, Lady Alissende de Montague and Sir Damien de Ashby were passionate, secret lovers — until the day Alissende had to turn her back on him, shattering both their hearts and changing their lives forever. Knowing he would never love another, Damien cast off all earthly concerns to dedicate his life to the Templar Knights. But now, his life endangered, he is thrust back into a world he’d left behind…coming face-to-face with the proud beauty who’d once spurned him.
A Wicked Promise…
Alissende will use her influence to save the man she still loves in exchange for his protection from the detestable, powerful earl bent on claiming her. It is a perilous bargain, forcing Damien to reunite with the one woman who could make him reject his vows for the temptations of the flesh. For their love rekindled will only burn deeper, threatening to consume them in the flames of dangerous intrigue and forbidden desires…
Perilous Pleasure by Jenny Brown
A Mysterious Lord under A Vow of Chastity…A Virgin Who Must Seduce Him to Save Her Life
Lord Ramsay has waited years to exact his vengeance on the scheming courtesan who sent his sister to the guillotine. Now the courtesan’s grown daughter is completely under his control. Her virginity is essential for the ancient rite that will give him the mystical powers he’s worked to master since his sister’s death. But Ramsay isn’t prepared for the vulnerable, courageous woman he finds–a woman with powers of her own.
Zoe has only one weapon against the fate that awaits her…seduction. Only that will rid her of the virginity Ramsay so prizes. Yet even as Zoe uses her charms to bewitch her abductor, Ramsay’s haunted, Pisces soul weaves a sensual spell around her too. Soon, the two will be bound together by a passion as bright as the stars–and locked in a desperate struggle against an ancient sorcery that can only be vanquished by love.
Passion and Pleasure in London by Melody Thomas
Winter Ashburn was once the toast of the ton, but now she skirts the margins of high society by stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Her latest mark is none other than Rory Jameson, the rake who dared mistake her for a lady of the evening. Winter has stolen from her fair share of scandalously handsome men in the past . . . so why does her heart beat faster as she approaches his door?
Rory Jameson is a rake, it’s true. And he’s caught many a thief while on secret missions for the Crown, but none has been this intriguing, this enticing. He will make Winter repay what she took so shamelessly . . . and melt her icy facade with the heat of his wicked touch. But her kiss sets his soul on fire—and now he will never be satisfied until he has made this alluring temptress his own.
By: Julie,
on 8/31/2012
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Sabrina Darby is the author of The Short and Fascinating Tale of Angelina Whitcombe. I enjoyed this quirky read, and was delighted when Sabrina agreed to answer some of my questions. Check out what she has to say:
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Sabrina Darby] From my bio: I’ve been reading romance since the age of seven and learned my best vocabulary (dulcet, diaphanous, and turgid) from them!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about The Short and Fascinating Tale of Angelina Whitcombe?
[Sabrina Darby] This story was so much fun to write because the premise is basically a mom hiring a mistress for her son.
The official blurb is:
Wanted:
A beautiful young woman—preferably one with no connections, who won’t ask too many questions—to spend two weeks in the North of England with an obstinate, aloof, and utterly handsome man.
Must love dogs, fixing up crumbling castles, and gorgeous and complicated war heroes who may or may not be hiding hearts of gold under their gruff exteriors.
Must not, under any circumstances, fall in love . . .
Simpering misses need not apply.
You can find an excerpt at http://www.scribd.com/doc/100422106/The-Short-and-Fascinating-Tale-of-Angelina-Whitcombe-by-Sabrina-Darby
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Sabrina Darby] This story actually started as a blog post on TheBallroomBlog.com, where I was playing with some of the common story elements in historical romance: wounded, war-scarred hero, meddling mother, castle, etc. It grew into a series of posts and then into a novella.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Angelina?
[Sabrina Darby] Ambitious, Determined, Unconventional
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things John would never have in his pocket?
[Sabrina Darby] This is a hard one. John’s definitely the sort of guy who might collect random things if he thought they could be put to good use. Of course, he’s also very neat, so there would be nothing in his pocket by the end of the day. I do think, by the time the story happens, he would likely never have a gun in his pocket.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Angelina had a theme song, what would it be?
[Sabrina Darby] Just prior to meeting John, I’d say her theme song is the Dar Williams version of Comfortably Numb.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Sabrina Darby] Another good question, and hard to pick just a few since there is no doubt that I’m influenced by all of the amazing artists who have come before me. However, for now, I’d say Ani DiFranco, Carole Maso and Magritte.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Sabrina Darby] Something to write with, something to write on, and a latte.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Sabrina Darby] If we’re talking romance, then I’d have to say the last Sarah MacLean book that I read.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Sabrina Darby] I can’t remember because I’ve been reading voraciously for as long as I can remember. However, books like Harriet the Spy definitely contributed to my love for writing.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Sabrina Darby] In the past, I used to love ballroom dancing and karate. These days, I like going to museums (Los Angeles has some of the best!), traveling and spending time with my husband, family and friends.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Sabrina Darby] I love when I get to interact with readers! You can find me online at SabrinaDarby.com, twitter.com/SabrinaDarby, facebook.com/sabrinadarbyromance or at TheBallroomBlog.com.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
You can order The Short and Fascinating Tale of Angelina Whitcombe from your favorite bookseller, or by clicking the widget below. Available in print and digital (digital is only .99!!)
For a limited time, these Avon eBook romances will be offered at a special price of $1.99! Take advantage of these scandalous prices while you can!
Have you read any of these scandalous romances? Which would you recommend?
Scandalous Love by Brenda Joyce
Sin and Scandal in England by Melody Thomas
Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase
Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress by Elizabeth Boyle
His Scandal by Gayle Callen
Scandal of the Black Rose by Debra Mullins
A Scandal to Remember by Linda Needham
A Game of Scandal by Kathryn Smith
Her Scandalous Affair by Candice Hern
Duke of Scandal by Adele Ashworth
Too Scandalous to Wed by Alexandra Benedict
A Matter of Scandal by Suzanne Enoch
Robin Gold is the author of Once Upon A List, her latest release from Avon Impulse. Robin dropped by the virtual offices recently to chat about her book.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Robin Gold] I’m an author, theatre geek, bicycle fanatic, funny girl, family girl, drama queen, cheeseburger lover, neat freak, hopeless romantic, former New Yorker, who still believes in “happily ever after” and doesn’t know what the heck 140 characters looks like.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Once Upon A List?
[Robin Gold] Never in her wildest dreams did Clara Black imagine she’d fly to Vegas just to eat at America’s biggest buffet, or that she’d be digging holes in her mother’s backyard to unearth her brother’s screechy plastic recorder. But if that’s what it takes to get past the car accident that changed her life . . . she’ll do what she must.
Eight months after losing her fiancé just before their wedding, Clara still can’t seem to escape her fog of sorrow. On a visit to her childhood home, she encounters her fifth-grade time capsule and a very special bucket list written by her ten-year-old self. When she impulsively fulfills one item, Clara finds that revisiting the woman she thought she’d become may just be her way out of grief and back to life. With Milk Dud the one-eared wonder dog, her zany but loving family, and an unexpected someone from her past by her side, Clara discovers that sometimes life’s unplanned moments are the sweetest, and sometimes the only bridge to your future is your past.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Robin Gold] I’ve always been fascinated by time capsules. Every time I hear about one, my mind inevitably wanders to how cool it would be to uncover a time capsule of my own. I kept having this recurring idea of what would happen if this relic from the past could somehow completely alter the future? From there, my mind just went to town and voila! A book concept was born! I wanted the main characters to be part of a very close, tight-knit family. And I knew from the beginning that I wanted to see my heroine, Clara, start at a low point and rise to a thrilling high point as a direct result of the capsule.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was the most challenging aspect of writing the book?
[Robin Gold] Dealing with a tough subject such as death in a manner that is more lighthearted while still conveying a sincere depth of loss and emotion was a huge challenge. I learned that “heavy yet humorous” is not always a simple combo platter to cook up.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Clara?
[Robin Gold] She’s a fighter.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Milk Dud would never ever eat?
[Robin Gold] Considering he eagerly licks vomit off a boot, I think it’s safe to say that Milk Dud will eat anything (and everything!).
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Clara’s single most prized possession?
[Robin Gold] A framed photograph of her and her dad resting in a hammock that was taken when she was just a tiny baby.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] I really love dogs, so I have to ask – what is Milk Dud’s single most prized possession?
[Robin Gold] Milk Dud had a rough life before he was adopted by Clara. He doesn’t really care about possessions. But he loves Clara more than anything in this world!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Robin Gold] I tend to draw upon experiences that I have in real life – the people I enco
Lizbeth Selvig is the author of the recently released romance, The Rancher and the Rock Star. Right off the bat, this book has two major interest points for me – it’s about a rancher and it has a hawt rock star who causes havoc in her life. Yum!
Liz was able to drop by the virtual offices to chat about her new book, and she brought some prizes! One of you will take home a digital or print copy of The Rancher and the Rock Star (your choice), and another winner will score a commemorative mug with Abby’s secret recipe for hot chocolate. Who needs hot chocolate with this hottie on mug?!
[Lizbeth Selvig] I want to thank Julie so much for inviting me to visit Manga Maniac Café today. It’s great to be here, and these questions were so much fun to answer. I hope you all enjoy!
[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Lizbeth Selvig] Uber-chatty former journalist, married to my hero. Proud mom/mom-in-law, animal lover, quilter, hiker-but no cook. Living my writing dream!
[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about The Rancher and the Rock Star?
[Lizbeth Selvig] It’s the story of rock superstar Gray Covey, who finds his runaway son, Dawson, at the small, struggling ranch (if you can call it that) of a beautiful but isolated and independent widow raising her fifteen-year-old daughter, Kim.
Gray figures to take his son with him on the road, assuming he’s simply run away from the English boarding school where his mother, Gray’s ex-wife, has placed him. To his shock, Gray has it dead wrong. His son is running as hard from him as he is from any school.
When Dawson guilts Gray with an ultimatum (“prove you love me more than you love your career”) into cancelling six sold-out concerts, sparks fly all around Abby Stadtler’s farm. But the most surprising sparks are the ones between Abby and Gray. With Kim’s crush on Gray growing, angry paparazzi closing in, a son who’s furious with him, and a woman who wants nothing to do with his crazy rock lifestyle—their relationship simply cannot work.
And yet, in her heart, Abby longs for a white knight. And Gray needs to figure out what it means to be a real superstar. With help from their children and two crazy birds—they find out that love and family are the answers to all their problems.
[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Lizbeth Selvig] The idea for the book came from a conversation with my daughter many years ago, when she was in high school. She really liked (still does) Elton John, even though he was definitely not of her generation, and her friends, in her own words, “thought I was a freak.” We got to talking about what would happen if you got to meet your favorite singer and he went and fell in love with your mother. How horrible would that be?
Gray came to me easily, but he started life with no conflict. I wrote five chapters that never saw more than my notebook. Abby appeared and spent a full two chapters just talking to Gray, getting on famously. Boring!
After some thought and some good brainstorming Dawson was born – the runaway son of a famous rock star seemed to have potential. Kim had come into being along with Abby, and I knew from the start that she and Gray shared a birthday. Finally, when all the players had arrived, the story took off.
Ed and Sylvia are based very loosely on my neighbors. We live in a rural area and I don’t know them well, but they are the cutest older couple. I gave them a new last name and senses of humor and Abby’s beloved neighbors had arrived.
The Loon Feather sisters, Claudia and Gladys, were based on two women I never really knew, but overheard once
Lizbeth Selvig will be stopping by on Tuesday to answer a few questions about her new book, The Rancher and the Rock Star. You can also enter for a chance to win a copy of the book, and there will be a commemorative mug up for grabs on Tuesday as well. To get you geeked for the interview and the contest, here’s an excerpt from the book – please enjoy!
EXCERPT: “The Rancher and the Rock Star” by Lizbeth Selvig
His fitted, denim-colored T-shirt read “Dashboard Confessional,” but it wasn’t the band name that unhinged her jaw. Who would have known a singer could sport biceps and pecs like— She snapped her mouth shut. Get a grip, Abigail. You sound like Kim.
On second thought, no way did Abby want her daughter thinking what she was thinking.
“Forget it.” She meant her refusal of his help sincerely. “You’ll just get wet, too. I can handle this.”
“You can’t come close to getting all those hay bales into the barn alone, and I can’t stand here any longer watching a damsel in distress.”
Her flash of defensive pride had no time to grow. Two seconds later they were both soaked to the skin. After they each had a stack of hay safely in the barn, Abby took a moment to rummage in a corner for a pair of canvas work gloves. He thanked her with a silly smile, and she realized what a ridiculous situation she was in. His fame aside, they’d known each other fifteen minutes, and here he was in a downpour, ruining expensive-looking leather shoes and a perfectly good pair of jeans.
As they fell into a quick, efficient rhythm, there was no missing that Gray Covey’s pecs and deltoids were not merely for show. He didn’t need to get off the trailer and lug bales into the barn. Instead, he hoisted cube after bristly cube and launched them like javelins through the door. For every four bales she heaved, Gray tossed eight. His biceps contracted over and over, smooth and firm, and his hips twisted in fluid perfection with no wasted movement.
By the time they were three-quarters finished, she’d changed her mind—or lost it. He wasn’t ruining his jeans. He could have sold the sucked-on denim for a thousand bucks to any woman who saw it. It had been a long time since she’d seen anything finer than Gray Covey-slash-David Graham with his thick, rain-darkened hair slicked back to his collar and rivulets of water streaming from his cheeks.
They continued without words. Once in a while, when a bale flew well, she heard a guttural “oof” from his throat that gave her more chills than the rain did. She refused to dwell on the errant thoughts—they were so foreign she barely recognized them as hers. But even in the driving rain, with lightning crackling every half a minute and thunder following much too closely, Abby didn’t think she’d ever enjoyed any job on her farm as much.
In ten minutes they had every bale under the roof. She stood beside Gray in the deluge staring at the barn floor, which looked like the aftermath of the Big Bad Wolf versus the first Little Pig’s house.
“Woo hoo!” He uttered his first syllables since climbing onto the wagon. Blowing out a deep sigh, he bent and braced his hands on his thighs. He peered up at her and grinned. “Here I thought I’d have to miss the gym today. You were going to do this all yourself, Mrs. Stadtler? I’m damn impressed.”
The compliment pleased her ridiculously.
He straightened and held up his palm for her to slap. Their gloves made a pitiful, slurping smack, and Abby giggled, although embarrassment picked at the edges of her gratitude. She should probably tell him she knew who he was.
“I don’t know how to thank you. This defines above and beyond,” she said instead.
He tilted his head back and opened his mouth
Here is a book at the top of my wish list. Once I get my TBR under control, I will pick it up. Until then, I will just keep looking at the pretty cover. Here’s an excerpt – are you interested in reading A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol?
A SECRET IN HER KISS by Anna Randol
I can hardly wait to get my hands on The Husband Hunt by Lynsay Sands! Avon is sharing an excerpt ahead of the February 28 release date, so check it out if you have time. Is this book on your wish list? Which February release are you looking forward to the most?
THE HUSBAND HUNT by Lynsay Sands
Avon has bought a book on why women get hooked on bad romance.
Editorial director Clare Bord bought UK and Commonwealth rights to The Man Diet: One Woman’s Quest to End Bad Romance by Zoe Strimpel from Charles Brotherstone and Bill Hamilton at A M Heath. It will be published digitally on 30th November and as a paperback on 22nd December.
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Avon has announced a three-book exclusive deal with Sainsbury's starting from next month. Trisha Ashley's novel Sowing Secrets and Beverly Barton's Amnesia will sell exclusively in Sainsbury's physical and online stores from July and The Perfect Christmas by Georgie Carter will be available from September. All three books are published by Avon, a division of HarperCollins, which credits the supermarket with a “clearly defined focus on sourcing great seasonal products for their customers.”
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