So Many Good Books…

Christmas in July

 

There are some great books out today, including this one by contemporary romance author Debbie Mason.  Christmas in July is the second in her series set in the picturesque mountain town of Christmas, Colorado.  Debbie writes wonderful books that are funny, romantic, and heart-wrenching all at the same time.  This story is about a soldier returning home from the battlefield, and I assure you that you’ll shed more than a few tears!

What’s really cool is that Christmas in July is currently on sale for only $1.99 in digital.  You can download it from Amazon, B & N, and from the Apple Store.  Trust me – it’s a total bargain at that price!  And, of course, it’s available in print from most retailers.

Another book I’m excited about is Lady Windermere’s Fan, by Miranda Neville.  Miranda writes fantastic, smart, sexy historical romance, and I just know I’m going to love this book.  It’s definitely at the top of my TBR pile.

Lady Windemere's Fan

 

And isn’t that a fantastic cover?!  Check out Miranda’s website for details and buy links.

Finally, if you’re looking for something REALLY steamy, try out award-winning author Sharon Page’s new historical erotic romance, Deeply in You.  Sharon’s books just burn up the page and she always has the most interesting Regency settings, too.

Sharon Page

 

Another beautiful cover!  You can find out all the details on Sharon’s website.

Happy reading!

 


Guest Author: Monica Burns & Giveaway!!

HisMistress-600x900

Hooray!! The fabulous Monica Burns has a new book out!  I love Monica’s very sexy and very cool historical romances, and her latest book is really something.

His Mistress is a  sensually crafted BDSM historical romance, and is Book 1 in the Self-Made Men series. When Tobias Lynsted is blackmailed into marrying Lady Jane, neither realize they both belong to the same BDSM club, the House of Dark Pleasures. Tobias is haunted by dark secrets, until Jane becomes both his salvation and the mistress of his soul.

Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite!

“I said kiss me again.” A sultry smile curved her lips. “Would that be such a difficult task to perform?”

Christ almighty, she wanted him to kiss her again. And she was ordering him to do so. She was a seductress demanding she be pleasured. Temptation threatened to overrule every sane thought he possessed. With one simple act, he’d awoken the beast inside him. A dragon that would devour her in one fiery breath. His gaze didn’t wander from her face as he struggled to devise a reason not to obey her command. In the back of his mind, a realization hollered out at him, but it subsided into the background as he shook his head as if doing so would clear it.

“I don’t think that would be appropriate, “ he choked out. “As you said earlier, a more private setting is called for.”

“Very well,” she murmured as she turned away and walked toward the door.
Relief lashed through him at the realization she’d spared himself and her from the darkness that flowed through his veins the moment she’d uttered her command. Disappointment followed a brief moment later. Bloody hell, he was mad to even consider the possibility of exposing her to his demons.

Tobias took a step forward to follow her then froze in his tracks as Jane locked the door. Disbelief made his muscles draw up taunt as she turned to face him and held up the key for a moment before slowly tucking it down into her bodice.

“There, I think we have all the privacy we could want. Wouldn’t you agree?”

There was a mischievous look on her face, but it was the determination in her voice that said he was in trouble. With a shake of his head, Tobias fought back the urge to give into her demands. Suddenly remembering the door into the earl’s study, he allowed himself a smile.

“I think my best course of action is to take my leave through your father’s study.”

He turned away with great effort as his mind flashed images of the dark, luscious valley the door key was nestled against. Even more dangerous than the image was the voice in the back of his head that said she needed to be kissed thoroughly. Kissed hard until she understood she was playing with fire.

Tobias crossed the floor to the door of the earl’s study and turned the knob. Locked. For a moment, he simply stared down at what should have been his salvation before he looked over his shoulder at Jane. Her lovely mouth curved in a slight smile, she rolled her shoulders in a small shrug.

“Father always locks his office when there are guests in the house.” The amusement he heard in her voice made him growl with frustration. In several long strides he was mere inches from her and returning her satisfied expression with a glare.
“You’ve no idea what you’re asking of me, Jane.”

“Oh, I think I do,” she murmured. “The problem is, you simply don’t want to do as I ask.”

“Ask?” bit out between clenched teeth. “I’d call it more of a command.”

“And would it be so difficult to surrender to my…command?” The softly whispered question was like a velvety iron fist to his stomach. He ignored the question.

“If one plays with fire, one should be prepared to burn, Jane.”

“You say that as if I’m in danger from you.”

“Maybe you are,” Tobias growled as the scent of her invaded his nostrils. God almighty, he wanted to bury his face in her neck just to savor her like one did the fragrance of a fine bottle of wine.

“Then I would like to experience that danger.” She reached out to brush her fingers across his unmarred cheek. “Now kiss me. I’ll not produce the key until you do as I say.”

“Do not forget that I warned you,” Tobias rasped as he tugged her into his arms with a suppressed violence at the way she’d forced his hand.

Not waiting for her reply, he crushed her lips beneath his. Desire pounded its way through his blood as he molded her to his body. Beneath the harshness of his kiss, she froze against him, and he prepared himself for her protest. It didn’t come. Instead, she became soft and pliable in his arms. Deep inside, he shouted the need to stop this madness, but he ignored the warning.

With a sharp nip at the plump skin of her lower lip, he waited for the gasp that would part her lips. A fraction of a second later, his tongue slipped past her teeth to plunder her sweet succulent mouth. Mint and a hint of citrus made her taste cool and tangy. The flavors reminded him of her strength and the occasional mischievous side she kept hidden beneath her serene countenance.

One arm wrapped around her waist, he caressed the side of her throat with his free hand. The pads of his fingers could have been touching silk if he’d not known otherwise. Eager to taste more of her, his mouth left hers to make its way across her cheek and down the side of her neck. A low moan broke free of her lips, while her head fell backward and her breasts press deeper into his chest. Immediately, his hand slid downward to caress the peach-toned swells of her breasts framed by her gown’s bodice. She was lovely, and she didn’t deserve his darkness touching her in any form.

Whew!  *Vanessa fans herself*

And here’s the blurb:

One man’s submission to pleasure

As a solicitor seeking justice for victims of violence, Tobias Lynsted must maintain control at all times while working in the seedy underworld of London’s East End. The darkness of his world creates a need for the intimacy and release he can only find in the forbidden pleasure of submission. The kind of pleasure where a powerful man has the freedom to let go of his control for a few sweet moments of oblivion. But when a blackmail scheme forces him to marry, the last thing he expects in a wife is a woman who will satisfy the darker side of his nature.

One woman’s awakening

Lady Jane Grisham has no desire to marry, but choosing marriage over a life of destitution is an easy choice to make. Although Jane knows love is for the foolish, Tobias awakens her most wicked and darkest of desires. In the sinful world of domination and submission, Jane uses her blossoming skills to make Tobias surrender not only his body, but his secrets. But she quickly discovers that the true test of her strength is trusting Tobias with her heart.

You can check out a longer excerpt on Monica’s website, and also find buy links.  Trust me – if you’re looking for a sexy, wonderfully emotional read, this is it!

For my readers today, Monica is giving away a copy of His Mistress.  Just tell me how sexy you like your historical romances for a chance to win!

 


Facebook Giveaway!!

Outside the Lines

Fellow Rock*It Reads author Bella Love has a new book out today, and it looks awesome!  It’s a sexy romantic mystery with a hero name Johnny Danger.  I love that!  Anyway, I’ve already bought my copy and I’m also giving one away on facebook.  Just hop on over to my facebook page and leave a comment on the Outside The Lines post to enter.  For those of you who’d like to read the blurb and an excerpt, visit Bella’s website.


We Have Winners!!

Capture

I’ve got some prizes to award from guest blogs before Christmas – I guess I got a little busy over the holidays!  The winner of Lila DiPasqua’s book and Christmas ornament is Erin F, and Diane Sallans also wins a copy of one of Lila’s books.  And bn100 wins a digital copy of Janet Mullany’s book, A Certain Latitude.  Congratulations, ladies!  I’ll be in touch.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog, and for following me on my Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard excerpt blog tour.  I’ll still be doing a few more blog trips in January, with giveaways, so please stop back to see where I’ll be!

SECRETS, SEDUCING,BODYGUARD


Guest Author: Lila DiPasqua & Giveaway!!

Lila

I’m so pleased to have bestselling author Lila DiPasqua visiting the blog today.  Lila writes wonderful and very sexy historical romance, and her Fiery Tales series of books are justly acclaimed.  She has a scorching new Christmas novella out–The Duke’s Match Girl, an erotic and emotionally charged retelling of the fairy tale, The Little Match Girl.

Here’s the blurb:

As childhood friends, Leopold d’Ermart and Suzanne Matchet were inseparable. One unforgettable Christmas Eve, their relationship changed from the best of friends…to lovers. But the heir of the Duke of Mont-Marly isn’t supposed to fall in love with the daughter of his family’s physician. Or vice versa.

Is this a second chance at first love?

Years later, Suzanne is dreading her first Christmas without her father. The heartbreak Leo caused when he left seven years ago is a distant memory. And she prefers to keep it that way. The last thing Suzanne expects is for tall, dark, and sinfully seductive Leo d’Ermart to show up at her door and announce he wants her back in his life. And in his bed. Worse, the now celebrated libertine is even more devastating to a woman’s senses than ever before…

Or are they playing with fire?

The only woman Leo, Duke of Mont-Marly, has ever yearned for is the adorably unconventional, intelligent beauty who got away. He discovers Suzanne creating and selling matchsticks, elixirs for the ill…and is still so damned alluring. Leo is determined to show her the depth of his desire, win back Suzanne’s heart. And give her a Christmas beyond her wildest imagination…

This 32,000 word novella contains very hot and  explicit sex scenes, so you’ve been warned!

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image15461047

And here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite!

A sudden clattering of horses’ hooves against cobblestones grabbed her attention. The sound rose quickly, getting louder with its rapid approach, obliterating the din of the townspeople moving about on foot and in carts outside.

This was a team of horses.

A large one.

A team of horses that had just come to an abrupt stop directly on the other side of her shop’s door.

Suzanne tensed, unable to shake the sudden dread that crested over her. Deep in the pit of her belly, she was gripped by a strong, unshakeable feeling that she knew exactly who had just arrived. Large teams of horses were not an everyday occurrence in Maillard.

No. Impossible… She’d unequivocally rebuffed Leo.

It couldn’t be him. Could it?

Lucille bolted for the window before Suzanne could stop her. “There’s a carriage with six horses here!” she all but squealed. “That’s a DUC!”

Rosalie wasted no time darting to her sibling’s side. She let out her own shriek of excitement. “There are definitely six horses. It is a duc! Oh, my… I believe he’s coming this way!”

The door suddenly opened.

Suzanne’s stomach dropped.

Three large men—including Gilles—entered her shop, one by one bowing to her briefly. Just as the third stepped to one side, a gust of winter wind stole into the room.

Suzanne barely felt the chill. She was far too stunned by the presence of the tall, familiar form now filling her doorway. And the breathtaking changes in him that had taken place these last seven years. Gracious God…

A second breeze wafted in, ruffling the hem of Leo’s long black cloak. Caressing his dark hair.

Against her will, she took in the breadth of his shoulders, which were wider, even more powerful, his handsome face that was more mature.

And more devastating.

Everything about him had seemingly intensified, from the hardness of his chiseled body to the hue of those spellbinding light green eyes. He had a presence and air of authority like never before.

Before her stood an incredibly gorgeous male who completely dominated the room. One who’s caused you more pain than anyone else ever has in your life.

And he was more attractive than ever.

The Duke’s Match Girl is available for ONLY 99 cents on Amazon, B & N, Kobo, Smashwords, and will soon be out in print.

And for my readers today, Lila is running a very special contest.  She’s giving away two copies of her print backlist–reader’s choice.  So, two readers who comment will each win a book, and one of them will also win this lovely Christmas Key ornament:

Christmas key Ornament

Wow!  Thanks for your generosity, Lila!  To be eligible to win these fab prizes (visit Lila’s website to check out her books) just tell us what’s your favorite fairy tale, or movie version of a fairy tale.  Two readers will Lila’s wonderful prizes!

 


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