Guest Author: Katharine Ashe & Giveaway!

One of my favorite historical authors is returning to the blog today.  She’s Katharine Ashe, and she writes passionate, exciting, character-driven romances.  Here’s what Katharine’s official bio says:

The American Library Association’s Booklist named Katharine Ashe among its “New Stars of Historical Romance.” She is a two-time nominee in the Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Awards, and her novella, A Lady’s Wish, launched Harper Collins Publishers’ e-book imprint, Avon Impulse, to rave reviews.

All this is very true, but I’ll tell you something else about Katharine–she’s smart and funny, and a lovely person to boot.  Can’t you just tell that from her picture?  I think she’s the bee’s knees, and if you’re not following her on Twitter or Facebook, you really should.

Katharine’s first book was Swept Away by a Kiss, which got rave reviews, including this one from RT Book Reviews:

TOP PICK!
“An incredible romance with enough sexual chemistry to singe your fingers. The characters are complex and highly sensual, the plot riveting and the backdrop vividly detailed. This is both a page-turner and a keeper.”

I bet you won’t be surprised to hear that Katharine’s subsequent books also received stellar reviews, right?  You can pop on over to her website to read some of those reviews, and to get the deets on each book, including excerpts.

Katharine’s readers (including me) are thrilled that she’s got a new series coming out, with the first book releasing this week. It’s called When A Scot Loves A Lady, and it kicks off her Falcon Club Series. Not surprisingly, it’s already getting great reviews:

FIVE QUILLS!
“A staggeringly intense love story… gripping, engaging, sublime… Ashe is a virtuoso… Her books are filled with an undeniable love, with arresting characters, and with plots that twist and turn, keeping a reader bound to the pages from beginning to end.”
— Romantic Crush Junkies

Isn’t that a beautiful cover?  Here’s the blurb for When A Scot Loves A Lady:

London gossips are asking: What use has society of an exclusive gentleman’s club if no gentlemen are ever seen to pass through its door?

After years as an agent of the secret Falcon Club, Lord Leam Blackwood knows it’s time to return home to Scotland. One temptation threatens his plans—Kitty Savege. The scandal-plagued lady warms his blood like a dram of fine whiskey. But a dangerous enemy stands in the way of desire, and to beat this foe Leam needs Kitty’s help…

Kitty never wanted to spend her holidays in a wretched country village! With snow up to the windows, escape is nowhere in sight. A roguish Scottish lord, however, is. His rough brogue sends tingles of heat from Kitty’s frigid toes to her chilled nose, but she’s confident she can withstand that. What she cannot control is the reaction of her carefully guarded heart when she discovers this beast is, in fact, no beast at all…

Sounds awesome, doesn’t it?  There’s an excerpt of When A Scot Loves A Lady on Katharine’s website, along with lots of interesting extras.  And be sure to stop by Katharine’s wonderful group blog, The Ballroom Blog, which she hosts with other fabulous authors like Miranda Neville and Gaelen Foley.

For my readers today, Katharine is giving away a copy of When A Scot Loves A Lady.  Just tell me the title of one of your favorite historical romances, and why you love it.  One person who comments will win a copy of Katharine’s fabulous book!

 


We Have A Winner!

The winner of Katharine Ashe’s book, Swept Away by a Kiss, is Sharyn L.  Congratulations!  I’ll be in touch soon.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by.  Don’t forget that for every copy sold of Katharine’s new book, In the Arms of a Marquess, Avon Romance will donate 25 cents to its K.I.S.S. & Teal Campaign to support research into Ovarian Cancer.

Next up on the blog?  My pal Lena Diaz, whose debut book, He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not, was just released by Avon Impulse.  Lena will be hear tomorrow!


Guest Author: Katharine Ashe & Giveaway!

I’m so happy to have the fabulous Katharine Ashe on the blog today.  Katharine writes gorgeous, critically acclaimed historical romances full of adventure and sensuality.  Her new book, In the Arms of a Marquess, will be released on August 30.  It’s already getting fantastic buzz and reviews, which doesn’t surprise me one bit!  I’ll turn the blog over to Katharine now, as she tells us about her secret cravings…

Indulging in the Exotic

I am a homebody. I love my cozy family room, my sink-into-it couch with fuzzy pillows (I bought on sale!), sun shining through the leaves of my potted palm, my pups napping on the floor. Sometimes when I write I sit at my kitchen table, coffee mug and a little plate of cookies beside me, or on the back deck where a hummingbird occasionally visits and I can hear boys playing basketball in the park through the woods. I love my quiet little street, my friendly neighborhood, my local café, the grocery store where I know everybody, and the laundromat where I chat each week with Millie about our latest romance reads.

I am a homebody.

But sometimes… I crave the exotic.

Crave.

I’ve had this craving for years. I haven’t tried to curb it. Instead, I indulge it. In the 70’s, my mother learned from a dieting guru that “humming foods” – foods you crave while dieting – can be the ruination of your diet if you don’t hum back to them, i.e. nibble them occasionally. I like this theory.

But I don’t nibble. I feast.

Usually my feast is a book, a delectable novel about some far-off place I’ve only seen in pictures and dreams… deserts where the heat rises in waves off the sand while caravans of bejeweled camels march along… glittering island seas where the water is so blue it hurts the eye with its perfection… golden pyramids that rise into the heavens… towering pinnacles on sparkling temples… fortress walls that stretch hundreds of miles across windswept mountaintops… the sumptuous sprawl of palaces built entirely for luxury and pleasure. It’s all the better if it’s a historical novel, especially a romance. When I read one of these I can sit in the comfort of my cozy house and, for a handful of hours, live a very different life. A life of fantastic adventure. It’s magical.

Sometimes, though, I answer the “humming” by writing. From the delicious comfort of Regency England, I take a step into the exotic, then another, and another into the vast, magnificent British Empire of the early nineteenth century. I don’t go for long! I adore the flirtations of London ballrooms, the witty banter of drawing rooms, romantic drives in the park and scandalous gossip around the tea table. I never stray far from those. In fact, what I love to do most is bring the exotic home to enjoy.

So that’s what I’ve done in my next book, IN THE ARMS OF A MARQUESS, coming on August 30. Sensible, shockingly honest Miss Octavia Pierce has a taste for the exotic, and the daring to go after it. Dark-eyed and delectably handsome Lord Ben Doreé, a man of mystery—raised like any English nobleman but not fully English, on the edge of society but never fully within it—has secrets Octavia is determined to discover. And he may just let her, but only if she agrees to a shocking proposition…

She had never forgotten him…

Miss Octavia Pierce is witty, well off, and shockingly unwed. Still, she is far too successful in society to remain on the shelf forever, and her family has hopes that Octavia will finally make the perfect match. What they do not know is that years earlier Octavia was scandalously tempted by the one man capable of sweeping her off her feet—the man now known as the Marquess of Doreé.

A third son, never meant to inherit, Lord Ben Doreé has abandoned his past and grown accustomed to his illustrious new position of wealth and power. But he has never forgotten Octavia, and now she desperately needs his help in a most dangerous, clandestine matter. Although she claims she has put the memories of the passion they shared behind her, Ben is determined to once again have her in his arms—and in his bed.

Vanessa, here.  Just for us, Katharine is a giving away a copy of Swept Away by a Kiss, the first book in her critically acclaimed Rogues of the Sea series.

Here’s the question she wants you to answer:  do you ever allow yourself to indulge in the exotic? Whether it’s adding a dash of cinnamon to your morning coffee or haring off on a trip around the world, how do you feed your cravings?  One reader who shares her secret craving (mine is chocolate cupcakes!) will win a copy of this marvelous book.

And don’t forget – as part of its K.I.S.S. and Teal campaign, Avon Romance is donating 25c from the sale of each copy of IN THE ARMS OF A MARQUESS (print or e-book) to support Ovarian Cancer research and support for victims and families.

Guest Author: Katharine Ashe & Giveaway!

I have a real treat for my readers today – I’m featuring the wonderful historical romance writer, Katharine Ashe.  If you’ve never read any of Katharine’s lush and sexy romances, you should know that she was named by Booklist, the prestigious review journal of the American Library Association as one of “the new stars of historical romance.”  And Katharine does know her history, since she holds a Ph.D. in the subject and is a professor of European History.  How cool is that?

Katharine’s first book was Swept Away By A Kiss.  It received great critical acclaim, and was a top pick from RT Book Reviews and a nominee for the “Best First Historical Romance” Reviewer’s Choice Awards.  And Romance Junkies gave it a Blue Ribbon Rating, calling it “Rompalicious!”

Packed full with adventure, witty repartee, an intriguing plot, wonderful characters, steamy hot love scenes and even pirates, this story is unforgettable.” –Romance Junkies

 

Oh, my God!  Witty repartee, hot love scenes, and pirates.  Seriously, what more could romance readers ask for?

Katharine’s latest book is Captured By A Rogue Lord.  It also received a Top Pick from RT Book Reviews:  “Ashe knows how to captivate readers with her action-packed romance brimming over with marvelous characters, sexual tension, witty repartee and action, action, action. Her take on the pirate tale is novel, exciting and highly romantic.”

Here’s the blurb for Captured By A Rogue Lord:

She would marry no man…
Serena Carlyle dreams of a happily ever after. Firmly on the shelf at twenty-five, instead she’s determined to find the perfect match for her beautiful younger sister. What better prospect than their neighbor, the wealthy, rakishly handsome Earl of Savege? Now Serena can beg his help in halting a local band of smugglers. Then, one night, stealing away from yet another disappointing ball, Serena finds herself trapped alone with a stranger …

Until he captured her—body and soul
His kiss was irresistible, his caress unforgettable, and he hides a devastating secret. A Robin Hood upon the sea, Alex Savege is the brazen pirate Redstone, seizing the yachts of spoiled noblemen to settle an old debt. Serena needs a hero, but her heart is in the gravest danger—for it is soon to be captured by a man as skilled at seduction as he is at plunder.

Smugglers, people!  Sexy smugglers!

Captured By A Rogue Lord is now in bookstores and available from Amazon and other on-line retailers.  You can find all the buy links on Katharine’s website.

Katharine has very graciously donated a copy of Captured By A Rogue Lord for today’s feature.  Let’s talk about outlaw heroes.  Do you love them as much as I do?  Who’s your favorite pirate, or smuggler, or highwayman hero?  One commenter will win a copy of the book.

 


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