A Forever Kind of Guy – Vanessa Kelly, Author

I’m pleased to be hosting Barbara Meyers today, the author of the Braddock Brothers Series of stand-alone contemporary romances. Barb has a new book out, and she’s graciously agreed to be my guest blogger today.

Vanessa asked for three to four paragraphs on a reader-oriented subject for this blog and I immediately wondered if I had anything appropriate already prepared. I seem to write potential blogs all the time but mostly they are about my experiences, my thoughts, myself!

But if I were a reader reading this blog what would I want to read about? This part about blogging always seems to elude me. The truth is I don’t know what readers are interested in. Books and reading, obviously. Romance novels, right?

Although I love a good romance as part of the plot in the books I read I don’t seek out romance novels to read. I think I od’d on them in my early twenties. I read and re-read Rosemary Rogers and Kathleen Woodiwiss among others. But as I grew as a reader and became a writer, I wanted more. I do love well-written romantic suspense, especially Tami Hoag and Sandra Brown, as well as straight suspense. Most recently I’ve read Lisa Gardner’s The Neighbor and am almost finished with Fragile by Lisa Unger. Though I once eschewed male writers (too brutal and too graphic) I forced myself to reassess that decision and try reading their stuff. That’s how I discovered the work of James Grippando and Lee Child. Check out my Goodreads list for other authors I’d recommend. (Like Ruth Rendell!)

I have never been a fan of faces on the covers of my books. Yes, they are contemporary romance novels but there’s a bigger story going on around the romance. Authors are given some input on the covers, and Samhain Publishing does its best to make the faces on the cover resemble the characters. With my latest, when I questioned the cover choice I got an interesting response. Something along the lines of “this book is straddling the line between romance and women’s fiction, that’s why we wanted a romantic cover…”

If you like romance novels with a little something more going on, here you go!

Thanks, Barb! Readers, here’s the blurb from Barb’s new book, The First Time Again:

There’s no defense when love blindsides your heart.

Once Trey Christopher was the small-town golden boy. Now he’s just another burned-out, washed-up ex-quarterback with a bum knee, a tarnished reputation, and a simple wish. To be the kind of man he can face in the mirror. Moving back home is a start, as is hiring a down-on-her-luck local woman to help him out around his grandparents’ old homestead.

The last thing Baylee Westring wants is to clean house for a high school crush who barely remembers her name, but Trey’s money will finally top off her get-out-of-Henderson-forever escape fund. Before she hits the road, though, Baylee’s got something for the man she still finds wildly attractive: the virginity he almost—but not quite—took during a drunken teenage party.

Neither is prepared for the emotional impact of that encounter. But just when Baylee dares to believe in happy ever after, an old enemy turns up to even the score. And Trey finds his heart left in the red zone, with his last chance for love ticking down to zero.

Warning: Contains an overeducated housekeeper who’s open to receiving a pass or two, and an ex-football player who can’t seem to stop himself from showing her all his moves.

Vanessa, here. Doesn’t that sound great? Since I write sports romances myself as VK Sykes, I’m a sucker for an athlete hero. Check out details and an excerpt for The First Time Again on Barb’s website.

EXTRA, EXTRA!! I’m visiting Ramblings With This Chick today, giving away copies of my new VK Sykes sports romance, Curveball. Come visit me for your chance to win the latest addition to the USA Today bestselling series that I write with hubby!

Sometimes you just want to read something that makes you feel good, don’t you? You want to read a story that makes you laugh, a story that makes you smile and sigh with the satisfaction of a heart-warming love story. My featured author today writes exactly that kind of book. She’s Barb Meyers, and she specializes in making you feel good.

Barb’s first book was Hidden Assets, a romantic comedy published by Avalon Books in 2001. She followed that up with Training Tommy in 2002.

In 2008, Barb became a Samhain author, publishing the sexy romantic comedy, A Month From Miami.

Here’s what Jasmine Cresswell, USA Today bestselling author, had to say about A Month From Miami:

“Barbara Meyers has written a heart-warming story of love and new beginnings as her endearing, small town heroine searches for success and finds it in unexpected places.”

Here’s the blurb for A Month From Miami:

Hair stylist Kaylee escapes small town life and is on her way to big city glamour and sophistication when her car breaks down in a small Florida town. Broke and stranded she trades baby-sitting for car repairs with single dad mechanic Rick. She’s only a month away from Miami, but there’s thief after the secret stash hidden in her gas tank, the FBI not far behind, a little girl who wants a mommy and a special man who’s thrown a wrench into her carefully laid plans.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Yes, it’s great to read about dukes and shapeshifters, Greek millionaires and ruthless princes, but every once in a while it’s really nice to read books about normal people, even if those normal people have to deal with FBI agents and jewel thieves! And with Barb, you can be guaranteed of a heart-warming, happy ending.

Fortunately for her fans, Barb has just released a new book with Samhain. It’s called A Forever Kind of Guy, and it sounds just wonderful:

Here’s the blurb for A Forever Kind of Guy:

First on Hayley Christopher’s list to get her train-wreck life back on track: stay away from men. Especially the ones who cause a ripple effect of bad decisions.

Still reeling from a high-profile divorce, the college dropout and former pro cheerleader is stumbling through yet another challenge—temporary custody of her nephew, Fletcher. No one knows better than Hayley that she’s not mother material. When she opens the door to her new landlord and old flame, she wonders just how many more past mistakes she is destined to pay for.

After the death of his wife, Ray Braddock is still putting the pieces back together. Hayley—and the silent little boy at her side—both bristle with emotional barriers so high, it appears no one but him can see that together, three broken people just might make a whole family.

As she watches Fletcher respond to Ray’s patient care, Hayley’s determination to hold on to her heart begins to soften. But just when she begins to think that Ray is one opportunity she shouldn’t let slip by, Fletcher’s gang-connected father threatens to make her pay for the one good choice she ever made…

Sounds exactly like the kind of contemporary romance I love to read! If you like your romance on the real side, with dashes of humor and a whole lot of heart, I think you’ll really like Barb’s books.

For my readers today, Barb is giving away a copy of A Month From Miami. Since Barb writes contemporary romance, let’s talk about that. What do you like in your contemporaries? Do you like stories about regular kinds of folks facing the challenges of life, or do you prefer more action-packed, high concept romances with lots of glamor, wealth, and adventure? Or both? One person who comments will win a copy of Barb’s book.

Guest Author: Barbara Meyers!!

Guest Author: Barb Meyers & Giveaway!