Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Four #MFRWAuthor Finalists in the N. N. Light 2021 Best Book Awards #Romance #BookAwards #MustRead @NNP_W_Light @JanaRichards_ @Marsharwest @JanetL717

 Four of us who are members of Marketing for Romance Writers are thrilled to be finalists in the N. N. Light 2021 Best Book Awards:

Contemporary Romance: Unexpected by Jana Richards

Erotic Romance: Heart Throb by Janet Lane Walters

Later in Life Romance: Compromise by Marsha R. West

Steamy Romance: I Am Not for Sale by Adriana Kraft

You won’t want to miss these award-nominated books!

Unexpected by Jana Richards

Single dad Ben Greyson wants only one thing – to retain custody of his two stepdaughters. A dysfunctional childhood has made family the most important thing in his life. When his late wife’s parents sue for custody, a desperate Ben is left with two choices – run away with his girls or marry his next-door neighbor.

Jamie Garven wants only one thing – to be a mother. She’s intrigued by her handsome new neighbor and falls in love with his little girls. Then disaster strikes and Ben is faced with losing his children. Despite the prospect of another loveless marriage, Jamie agrees to marry him for a chance at motherhood. They’re determined to show the world, and the girls’ grandparents, two loving parents.

Their marriage of convenience turns into unexpected love. But when Ben interprets Jamie’s efforts to save their family as a betrayal, they could lose everything, including each other.

Buy at Amazon

 

Heart Throb by Janet Lane Walters

Magda Malone likes men and has no desire to marry. She’s been there, done that and got burned. She’s happy with her position as coordinator of the cardiac unit at the hospital. A new neighbor promises many nights of steamy sex.

Damon also has no desire for marriage. He had too many steps as a child and sees marriage as a serial sort of game. He doesn’t want to play. When Magda learns he’s a cardiologist, she blows him off. The problem is Damon has fallen in love and he must convince Magda there’s more between them than sex.

Buy at Amazon

 

Compromise by Marsha R. West

Widowed, shop keeper, and transplanted Texan Jessica Allen fights to protect the green in the New Hampshire town of Tidbury, settled by her late husband’s family. New Hampshire of the beautiful fall leaves, picturesque Christmases, and sometimes brutal winters. She’s angry to learn developers plan to use Worley Construction, a company she holds responsible for her husband’s death. When a member of the board of selectmen is murdered, family and friends encourage Jessica to run for the seat. Will threats force her to compromise her principles? Will Jessica be forced to compromise to find her second chance at love?
Developer Jeff Hudson wants to build a retirement center on the Tidbury Green. Despite Jessica’s opposition, he believes he can convince her of the need for the center and that its place on the green will leave plenty of room for all of the town’s activities. But has he partnered with an unsafe builder? How much money will he lose if he breaks the contract to please Jessica? Her position on the board of selectmen may cause a conflict of interest and force them apart. Will more people have to die to save the green?

Buy at Amazon

 

I Am Not for Sale by Adriana Kraft

It’s nothing personal…

It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business.

He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son. Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?

Buy at Amazon

 

Marketing for Romance Writers is a peer-mentoring group. Our motto is Seek, Teach, Share, Learn, Succeed. Founded in 2006 by Kayelle Allen.

MFRW io Group

FLASH #SALE! LIES AND SOLACE #onsale for 99cents!

 From December 14 - 16, 2021 LIES AND SOLACE is #onsale for #99cents. Get your ecopy today!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079TDDSY4



She can’t live with one more lie. He can’t tell the truth.

Harper Lindquist is convinced she’s found the answer to her financial prayers. Unless she pours cash into crumbling Solace Lake Lodge, she’ll lose her family’s legacy. Her would-be savior arrives in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard and she’s determined to prove to her reluctant, and trapped, financier the lodge is a sound investment. But Harper isn’t completely honest with him. And she has no idea the lake is hiding secrets of its own. 

Ethan James is a liar, but his money is very real. He isn’t convinced a broken-down inn is a smart investment opportunity. But the more he understands Harper’s dreams and desires, the more he wants to be the man to make them come true. The trauma in both their pasts means neither can fully trust the other. They must find the courage to love, to trust, and to accept, or yesterday’s sorrows will keep them apart.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079TDDSY4

Pick up the rest of the Love at Solace Lake series!

Secrets and Solace: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079WGSNWD

Truth and Solace: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079WFZXV2

Sunday, December 12, 2021

ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE #onsale!

Give the gift of reading this Christmas! ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is only $1.99!

 Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda—finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.

Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her men don’t stay.

Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?



Excerpt:

“How are your mom and dad?” 

“About the same, I guess. Dad’s still deep in denial. He’s taken her to Dr. Willson for some initial medical tests, but he’s been putting off making an appointment with the neurologist Dr. Willson wants her to see. And my mom is still…” 

She looked away, on the verge of tears. Alex closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. 

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” 

Holding her securely with one hand around her waist, he tucked her head under his chin. She held her breath as if to keep from crying, her hands clutching the front of his T-shirt, her body tense. He slid his hand up and down her back, trying to soothe. 

“It’s okay if you want to cry, Julia.” 

“I’m afraid if I start crying I won’t be able to stop,” she said, sniffing. 

“You don’t have to be strong all the time.” 

She sighed and relaxed against him. “Sometimes I feel about as strong as a wet noodle. Superwoman I’m not.” 

He held her a little closer, burying his smile in her silky hair. 

“I don’t know. With a cape and some tights, you could definitely pass for a superhero. You could be Super Principal, defender of defenseless students.” 

He heard her chuckle. She looked up into his face, her eyes smiling into his, even though they were wet with tears. 

“I couldn’t be Super Principal. I look terrible in a cape.” 

He laughed softly. “You couldn’t look terrible if you tried.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“For what?” 

“For making me laugh when I felt like crying.” 

“My pleasure.” 

Alex’s heart thudded against his chest as she stared into his eyes. He couldn’t look away. He lifted his hand and gently trailed his fingers across her full lips, her eyes, her cheekbones. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers, sighing at the feel of the softness of her lips. Her scent, something floral and sweet, surrounded him, intoxicated him. Need pulsed through his veins, but he held back, keeping his kisses light and tender when he wanted to mould her against him and explore every inch of her body with his hands and his tongue. She made a little sound of pleasure deep in her throat and, straining upward to wrap her arms around his neck, flattened herself against him, breast to chest, sex to sex. Restraint snapped. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She opened her mouth to him and his tongue swept every corner, mating and dancing with her tongue. Placing his hand on her buttocks, he pulled her against his growing erection, rubbing against her mound. She moaned in response, moving against him. 

“Mommy, are you going to tuck me in?” 

Julia pushed away from him at Ava’s plaintive call from the top of the stairs. Shock registered in her eyes as she stared at him, her chest heaving with her labored breath. Arousal, exhilaration, and complete and utter surprise pounded through his blood. He hadn’t expected fire to ignite between them, hadn’t expected her response. Hell, he hadn’t even expected his own response. He knew he was attracted to her, but the need he’d felt, the all-consuming desire, had completely blindsided him. 

“I…I…should see to Ava,” Julia stammered, her eyes still wide with shock. Her hair was tousled, her lip gloss smudged. The taste of her was still in his mouth. He still wanted her, but instead he took a step away. 

“I should go.” But he couldn’t make his feet move any further. 

“Yes,” she whispered. She stayed rooted to her spot. 

He wanted to touch her again, to kiss her, but he knew if he did he wouldn’t be able to leave. They were both on the edge, and it wouldn’t take more than a touch to set the flames ablaze once more. And this time he didn’t think either of them could stop. 

He closed his eyes, his hands clenched at his sides. That might be okay for him, but he knew Julia wasn’t ready. She’d hate herself if she lost control and had sex with him now. Worse, she’d hate him. 

“Go see to Ava.” He heard the husky note in his voice, the unmet need. 

“Yes.” Still, she didn’t move.

Their eyes met, desire dancing between them. It took every ounce of strength Alex possessed to turn away and walk out of her house. To walk away from her.

On Sale for $1.99 at:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  iBooks

Friday, December 10, 2021

INTO THE FIRE - #NewRelease from Amber Daulton

Amber Daulton is on a roll! This is her third new release in the last few months. You go, girl! Enjoy the excerpt and blurb.

Into The Fire

Publisher: Carnal Imprint Publishing

Release Date: December 14th, 2021

ASIN: B097SCY69Z

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Heat Rating: 4 Flames


Blurb – Into The Fire box set

Danger, Secrets, Murder, Passion… Love.

Lose yourself in the world of cops and criminals, witnesses and fugitives, old loves and new flames, where the stories turn scandals into romance and secrets into passion. With all levels of law enforcement included in the intrigue, you'll find unintended romance, passionate secrets, and forbidden love.

Your favorite contemporary romance authors invite you to join them for scintillating stories of law and order. Which of these arresting stories will have you cuffed?

These romances will take you deep into the fire.

Who will get burned when the case is cracked wide open?


Blurb – Ryan’s Temptation by Amber Daulton

Wrong place, wrong time. Now she’s running for her life.

Beautician Chanel Leroc can wield a pair of scissors like nobody’s business. After she witnesses a murder and lands on a serial killer’s hit list, she has to figure out how to protect herself—and fast. The killer tracks her down, but her sexy new neighbor, Dr. Ryan Naylor, drives the brute off. 

The police dump the pair in a witness protection program, which doesn’t last long. Either the killer has a connection to the police, or he’s far more intelligent than they realize. All Chanel wants to do is get back to her safe life and get to know her attractive neighbor better. Instead, she and Ryan hit the road and try to survive on their own.

How will they stay alive and keep their blooming romance intact with the killer hot on their trail?

Excerpt from Ryan’s Temptation by Amber Daulton

He deepened the kiss and danced the tango with her tongue. Her sweet cherry taste rocketed through him. Yes! Delicious. Her breathy gasp filled his lungs as he trailed his hands to the hot skin poking out between the hem of her top and her waistband.

Chanel clutched him close and feathered kisses across his jawline. “More. Touch me.”

Fucking hell. He backed her against the stove and claimed her mouth again. She pressed her soft breasts to his chest and tugged on his hair. The burning in his scalp thickened his cock. The inferno racing through him blazed hotter as he squeezed her supple ass.

She gasped and ripped her mouth from his.

He fisted her long, silky hair. The shudder rolling through him stopped his heart, then jump-started the organ. He unbuttoned her pants and stroked the hem of her cotton panties.

“Ryan.” She gyrated against him, breathing hard. “We shouldn’t.”

“You don’t have a boyfriend, do you?”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t be here with you if I did.”

He suckled the smooth skin of her neck. “I’ve wanted you since I saw you lugging boxes to your apartment.”

She gripped his back. “Why didn’t you say something?”

He thrust his erection over her belly. “I thought you might’ve been dating one of the men helping you.” Though he hadn’t seen either of those men in the building since Chanel moved in. One of them reminded him of someone, as though they’d met before, but he couldn’t place him.

“Mason and Jim are both engaged to their better halves. You had nothing to worry about.” She tilted her head back as he licked the line of her throat. “We need a—”

“I won’t hurt you.” He clasped her flushed cheek and treasured her kiss-swollen lips. 

“Ooh, I know, but…” She shifted out of his hold.

He groaned. No! Why? He gulped and lifted his hand to calm her. “Chanel, I like you a lot. I didn’t mean to insult you about being a beautician, I swear. You must like me, too, or you wouldn’t have kissed me back.” Please, God. He needed release. This sexy woman had twisted him into a pretzel.

“Do you have a condom?”


Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58592015-into-the-fire 

Check it out on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/into-the-fire-a-limited-edition-collection-romantic-suspense-anthology-by-b-a-erickson-and-beth-hale 


Purchase Links

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/intothefireboxset

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097SCY69Z

B&N:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-the-fire-krista-ames/1140538395

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/into-the-fire-a-limited-edition-romantic-suspense-anthology

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=jmM0EAAAQBAJ

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/into-fire-limited-edition-collection-romantic-suspense/id1573513856


About the Author, Amber Daulton

Amber is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. 

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Social Media Links: https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

UNEXPECTED nominated for Book of the Year!

I'm very excited to announce that UNEXPECTED is a finalist in this year's Book Awards at N.N. Light's Book Heaven in the contemporary romance category. Yay! I'm beyond thrilled to be nominated. 

Here's N.N. Light's review: "Unexpected is a single dad romance I couldn't stop reading. Love sprouting from a marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes and Jana Richards has written a beautiful romance." https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/unexpected-br 


On top of that, N.N. Light has nominated me as one of the year's Best Canada authors that they have reviewed. I'm very honoured! 


Pick up a copy of UNEXPECTED at your favorite retailer: https://books2read.com/Unexpected-by-Jana-Richards





Friday, November 26, 2021

#NewRelease by Margot Johnson - LET IT SNOWBALL

My friend Margot Johnson is back on Journeys with Jana. She just released LET IT SNOWBALL, a new Christmas story in the Christmas cookie series from The Wild Rose Press. I had a look at the Chocolate Snowball recipe that Margot provided. I'm going to have try this one for Christmas! Take it away, Margot!


I write feel-good stories about women who chase their dreams and bump into romance along the way. They live in small communities near my home in the Canadian prairies, and they count on an eclectic mix of family and friends to make their lives interesting and fun. 

My new release is available as an eBook on Amazon and major online bookstores. I hope you agree it’s a fun way to celebrate the Christmas season!

In my story, the heroine, Merilee, shares her famous cookie recipe for chocolate snowballs – see below). Maybe you’ll want to add it to your Christmas baking list.


Author Bio:

Margot Johnson grew up in a family of writers and has always loved books and writing. She is the author of two, sweet romance novels--LOVE TAKES FLIGHT and LOVE LEADS THE WAY and the Christmas novella LET IT SNOWBALL. Her characters can't possibly find their happy endings...or can they? 

Before turning her focus to the fun writing life, Margot held leadership roles in human resources and communications. Her motto is "Dream big and work hard." When not writing, she loves to connect with family and friends, volunteer with SK Writers Guild, and walk at least 10,000 steps a day (except when it's minus 40!)

 She lives in the Canadian prairies with her amazing husband and beloved golden retriever.


Blurb:

Christmas tours brim with lights, cookies, and…unexpected romance?

Divorced, empty nester Merilee is on a roll. Filled with scrumptious cookies and old-fashioned fun, her Christmas bus tours aim to add festive spirit to her hometown and new meaning to her lackluster life. Too bad her reserved driver slams the brakes on fun.

Widowed farmer Ross needs a little joy to combat his December blues. Behind the wheel, he wears a Santa suit but can't muster a convincing ho-ho-ho. Too many memories block his road to happiness…until irrepressible Merilee sparks a snowstorm of unexpected feelings.

In two weeks of holiday tours, Ross might drive Merilee crazy…or will romance snowball inside their lonely hearts?


Excerpt:

After a short drive, the busload arrived at their first stop. “You’re in for a treat.” Merilee leapt up, leaned over, and gave directions on where to park. Absorbing Ross’s delicious scent, clean like snow infused with a trace of peppermint, she jerked back and steadied her breath. Sudden, shocking warmth flooded her insides. Now where was she?  She paused to gather her wayward thoughts. 

“These rules apply for each stop so we can all enjoy the goodies inside and still keep the tour on schedule. You are free to choose from several platters of cookies. If you would like to sample other kinds or take some home, you can purchase as many as you’d like. We’ll stay for thirty minutes, and then I’ll jingle.” She demonstrated with a string of bells. “Last one back on the bus has to tell a joke or lead a song. If you agree, shout snowball.”  

“Snowball.” In a chorus of voices, the group hollered back the right answer. 

She lowered the mic. “What about you, Santa?”

He shifted the gear into Park. “Nobody’s going anywhere without me.” He straightened his hat and quirked a fluffy eyebrow. 

She smiled, folded her arms, and tapped a foot. Her boots were pretty eye-catching covered in green and red toppers with bells on the toes. Maybe she could cajole him into some good-natured joking. “Santa, you know what happens to kids who don’t behave. You don’t want to end up on the Naughty List, do you?” 

“Snowball.” He kept a straight face. 


Links: 

Let it Snowball

Love Takes Flight  

Love Leads the Way

Website: margotjohnson.ca  Facebook: MargotJohnsonAuthor  Twitter: @AuthorMargot 


A Review from New York Times Bestselling Author Mary Balogh:

“I loved LET IT SNOWBALL. From the first page I wanted to book a place on Merilee’s nightly Season’s Eatings Christmas tour bus with its three stops at cookie shops to sample and buy. On the last page I wanted to book ahead for the Valentine’s tour! Margot Johnson has a way of making a festive atmosphere seem very real. Combine that with a warm and gentle love story that feels truly authentic, and you have a winner of a story.”


My writing tip: Don’t wait for the perfect idea or ideal moment. Just sit at your keyboard and write!

Inspiration for this story: I live in a place where winter storms and frigid weather are common. I also love Christmas. 

Last year during lockdown, my husband and I couldn’t visit friends and family in person, so we delivered Christmas light necklaces to their doors and then connected online. We also bundled up for a walk on a minus forty degree day. I can imagine my characters Merilee and Ross sharing similar adventures.


One wish: I love hearing feedback from readers. I wish everyone who reads Let it Snowball would post a review.

Merilee’s Famous Chocolate Snowballs

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/4 cup 2% or whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Icing sugar


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Add egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Shape into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and bake until tops crackle (7-8 minutes).

Remove to wire racks and cool. Roll in icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Favorite Secondary Character in Adriana Kraft's #NewRelease

I am thrilled to welcome Adriana Kraft back to my blog. Today she's talking about one of my favorite blog topics -- secondary characters. We get to meet one of the secondary characters in Adriana's #newrelease I AM NOT FOR SALE. Welcome Adriana!


Meet our heroine’s Aunt Ivett #NewRelease #Excerpt #RomanticSuspense #MFRWAuthor

I Am Not For Sale ~ A desperate espresso café owner, a determined coffee franchise rep, a quiet Midwestern town, anonymous threats out of the blue—where does the true danger lie?


How to describe Nadja’s aunt, Ivett Chambers? A few words come to mind – hard working, high energy, bubbly, fiercely loyal, bold, traditional, deeply spiritual, sometimes unpredictable.

Best to introduce her, perhaps, with the excerpt where the reader first meets her:

Excerpt:

Set Up: Nadja’s cafe, just after Kevin proposed buying her out and then left.

Blocking the annoying stranger from her mind, Nadja busied herself by packing the leftover bakery goods she would drop off at the local food bank. She glanced up to see her aunt leaning against the doorjamb separating their two stores.

How long had Ivett been standing there? What had she seen? Her dark eyes sparkled as if she possessed a tantalizing secret. Nadja sighed, girding herself for a grilling. 

She hoped when she was forty-three she’d look as attractive as her aunt. Ivett’s clear, heart-shaped face was framed by dark flowing hair and set off by the most expressive eyes. But Nadja knew she’d never bubble like her aunt—that kind of free spirit didn’t lurk anywhere in her body.

“Hmm, who’s the tall dark handsome stranger?” Ivett quipped, stepping into the coffee shop. “I don’t think I remember seeing him around. And if I had, I think I’d have noticed. He seemed quite engrossed in you.”

“Nonsense. He was just a customer.” There was no need to tell Ivett about the man’s outlandish proposition. The man had no manners—or maybe he was merely another example of American bluntness.

“Few customers, even male customers, stand at the counter and blatantly undress you in their minds.”

Nadja gasped. “He wasn’t.”

She frowned. Or was he? Her cheeks warmed. She wasn’t blind. She’d noticed his broad chest pulling at his shirt. But she hadn’t considered him any more thoroughly than that. And she didn’t think it wise to do so now.

She shook her head. “You must be wrong. He was only interested in the coffee business.”

“Right! I don’t believe that for a minute, but if you must, go ahead. Your mother has been gone for nearly two years now, Nadja. It’s time for you to get on with your life.”

“I am. Look at this place.” She swept her gaze around the shop. “This was only a dream eighteen months ago. But with the inheritance from my mother and your and Uncle Steve’s help—this is a reality.”

“Your dream is a reality because you worked twenty-six hours a day on it with very little help for the first eight months.”

“I couldn’t hire help until I got the place up and running.” 

Ivett blew air through pursed lips, and Nadja prepared herself for what had become an all-too-familiar lecture. 

“You could at least show some interest in a man.”

“I don’t even know his name.”

“I don’t only mean him. But he’ll be back.”

~ o ~

As a romance reader, how much attention do you pay to so-called “secondary” characters? Naturally, two main characters (at least) will fall in love, and there may be some red herrings to pull the reader astray (sort of an also-ran hero), but beyond that, is there anyone else who really matters?

As authors, Mr. Kraft and I pay a LOT of attention to those background characters. Sometimes they’re a best friend. Sometimes they’re more of a provocateur or a foil. Sometimes they don’t look like much, but they’re a sort of glue that holds the threads of the story together. 

Our story takes place in 2005. Both Nadja and her aunt are fairly recent immigrants to the U.S., from Ukraine. Now twenty-nine, Nadja grew up under the communist regime; she was fifteen when Ukraine became independent, in 1991. Nadja and her mother immigrated to the U.S. seeking medical treatment in 2000, shortly after her mother became ill, but treatment was unsuccessful and her mother died in 2003.

Her mother’s younger sister, Ivett, successfully fled the country in 1990, just ahead of the regime change. She was welcomed by the eastern European community in central Iowa, where she eventually met and married local real estate agent Steve Chambers. 

Now part mother-substitute and part older sister, Ivett needles Nadja about making time in her life for a man before it’s too late. She lights a candle at her church when Nadja – or anyone they care about – is in danger. Happily married, and in spite of being traditional, she supplies Nadja with explicit videos to improve her lovemaking skills and give her ideas; clearly these are materials she has also taken advantage of…

So yes – provocateur, Nadja’s sharpest critic and strongest support, fiercely loyal, and full of surprises. We think readers will enjoy Ivett’s role and may even chuckle at her resemblance to familiar figures in their own lives.


Blurb:

It’s nothing personal…

It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business. 

He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son. 

Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?


Buy Links:

Extasy Books https://www.extasybooks.com/I-am-Not-for-Sale 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7WQH12/ 

BookReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59582104


About Adriana Kraft:

When it’s Time to Heat Things Up

Award winning author Adriana Kraft is a married couple writing Sizzling Romantic Suspense and Erotic Romance for Two, Three, or More. Whether readers open our romantic suspense or our erotic romance, they can expect characters they care about, hot sex scenes, and a compelling story. Our suspense stories deliver one man, one woman, danger and intrigue. Our erotic romance is edgier and nearly always includes ménage or polyamory, sometimes with two women and a man, sometimes with two (or more) couples. We write our Erotic Romance stories to entertain, of course, but most of all we write them because we believe in happy endings for all who fall in love, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or numerical combination.


Links

Website: http://adrianakraft.com

Blog: http://www.adrianakraft.com/blog 

Newsletter: free download of our erotic romance novella Cherry Tune-Up for signing up.

Twitter http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.kraft.5 

FaceBook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/AdrianaKraftAuthor 

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/adrianakraft

Extasy author page https://www.extasybooks.com/adriana-kraft 

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1578571.Adriana_Kraft

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kraftadriana/ 

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-kraft

Friday, November 19, 2021

Kimberly Baer's Cookie Story: Snowdrop Dreams, Cherry Thumbprint Screams

This Christmas, The Wild Rose Press is offering a series of holiday-themed stories. The title of each book contains the name of a Christmas cookie. Today we're taking a look at Kimberly Baer's SNOWDROP DREAMS, CHERRY THUMBPRINT SCREAMS, which releases November 29, 2021. Thanks for visiting, Kimberly. This looks like a great read! 


5 random facts about Snowdrop Dreams, Cherry Thumbprint Screams

1. A noise in my attic inspired this book. The noise was probably just boards settling, but my imagination went wild: What if somebody was living up there? What if they waited for me to go to work each day and then dropped down through the trap door to raid my pantry and root though my dresser drawers? What circumstances might drive somebody to hide out in a stranger’s attic? How would they have gotten in? Before I knew it, I had a rudimentary plot for a romantic suspense story.

2. This book is part of The Wild Rose Press’s Christmas Cookies series, and all the book titles contain the names of cookies. The cookie names I chose tie in with plot points. “Snowdrop Dreams” refers to Annie’s long-time crush on Sam and an incident from their youth in which they took a tumble (a DROP) into a SNOWbank while sled-riding. “Cherry Thumbprint Screams” is meant to evoke something more horrific: bloody fingerprints.

3. I put my own experiences into the story. The stunt Annie pulled at age fourteen to get the attention of the guy she liked is the same one I pulled at the same age and for the same reason. The abuse she suffered at the hands (literally!) of the guy who sat behind her in tenth grade homeroom? That happened to me, too. 

4. If Annie seems bitter, it’s because she is. Long ago, she lost her only child, an infant son. Over the years, her grief has solidified into resentment toward peers who have attained the one thing she wants above all else: parenthood. She’s brusque with her pregnant employee. She disdains parents who post about their children’s accomplishments on social media. Go easy on her, okay? Her hostility is coming from a place of great pain.

5. Snowdrop Dreams isn’t a fantasy story, but some subtle mystical elements are woven into the plot. Of course, fiction isn’t the only place you’ll find such elements. I believe that the supernatural is all around us, and we can find it if we look hard enough. (If you’ve never heard the story of my mystical calendar, check out my blog “The Calendar That Predicted My Husband’s Death.”)

Blurb:

When Annie Barkley discovers a boy living in the attic of her cookie shop, she’s stunned—and oddly elated. She can almost believe the universe is giving her back the infant son she lost eleven years ago.

Annie senses that something bad happened to the boy, but he won’t talk. All she knows is that he’s terrified of being found. When her long-ago crush, police captain Sam Stern, stops by to inquire about a missing boy, Annie says she hasn’t seen him.

Big mistake. Because that lie might cost her more than a romance with Sam. It also leaves her vulnerable to a ruthless pursuer, one who’s determined to silence the boy for good.

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giM9IljM448

Excerpt:

She was startled by a thump from above, followed by the muffled slide of the attic window, first up, then down. The groan of floorboards beneath traipsing feet.

Goosebumps prickled across her scalp. Why hadn’t she thought to grab something to use for self-defense? A knife or a fork or Gram’s old cast-iron baking pan, which maybe, just maybe, would deflect bullets. There might be a metal nail file in her purse, except she had no time to hunt for it, because the trap door was creaking open, and—oh, God!—someone was coming down the stairs.

Footfalls thudded across the floor, mere feet from where she was hunkered behind the island. Squinting through the grainy dimness, she peeked around the corner in time to glimpse a slight, dark figure creeping into the room out front. She got to her feet and followed.

She came to a halt just beyond the doorway. The big neon clock on the rear wall glowed blue, giving the room a bar-like ambience. The cookie burglar was standing behind the counter to her left, cramming snowdrop cookies into his mouth.

God in heaven, it was a boy. The cookie burglar was a boy. And he was eleven. She was sure of that, even though the light was dim and she was seeing him only in profile. Something about him seemed familiar—his slouched shoulders, perhaps, or the long, straight slope of his nose. He was slender like her, though a few inches shorter. His hair was matted and dark but with a good shampooing would probably be the same tawny shade as her own.

An eleven-year-old brown-haired boy, come down from above to burgle her cookie shop…

She stepped forward with a gasp. “Jonah?”


Pre-order link:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Snowdrop-Thumbprint-Screams-Christmas-Cookies-ebook/dp/B09GXM27PR


Author Bio:


Kimberly Baer wrote her first story at age six. It was about a baby chick that hatched out of a little girl's Easter egg after somehow surviving the hard-boiling process. Nowadays, she writes in a variety of genres. Her paranormal young-adult novel The Haunted Purse was the third-place winner in the 2021 National Excellence in Story Telling Contest (YA category), sponsored by the Central Region Oklahoma Writers. Her middle-grade novel Mall Girl Meets the Shadow Vandal was the bronze medal winner in the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Book Award Contest, Children’s Mystery category.

Snowdrop Dreams, Cherry Thumbprint Screams is Kim’s first foray into adult romantic suspense. The novella is part of The Wild Rose Press’s 2021 Christmas Cookies series.

In addition to being an author, Kim has worked as a professional editor for the past sixteen years. She lives in Virginia, where she likes to go power-walking on days when it's not too hot, too cold, too rainy, too snowy, or too windy. On indoor days, you might find her binge-watching one of her favorite TV shows: Gilmore Girls, Friends, The Office, or Breaking Bad. 

Social media links:

Website: www.kimberlybaer.com 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KimberlyBaer14 

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

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Baer/e/B08D3RVKCH/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/kimberly_baer 


Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Join Me on Secret Santa Day!

Join over 150 authors for Secret Santa Day on December 3, 2021! Every author (including me!) will have at least one prize to give away and you can enter at each author's post. Easy peasy!

To participate in Secret Santa Day, join the Dangerously Dark Darlings FB page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/DangerouslyDarkDarlings and then come back on December 3 and join the fun. See you then! 



Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Savage Bloodline Boxed Set Preorder!

 


Give Thanks to a Savage!

Welcome to November where the air is cool and the men are hot. 

We’re entering a month full of things to be thankful for, like crisp weather, pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters, boots, and, of course, hot savages! There's an art to being thankful. The DeLuca men don't care how you show your gratitude: on your knees, bending over, against a wall, or while begging for mercy. In return, they’ll keep you warm on those chilly November nights.

Preorder the Savage Bloodline Boxset: https://books2read.com/SavageBloodlineBoxset

Add it to your TBR list on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57656059-savage-bloodline 

Download the prequel, Brutal Bloodline for FREE!

https://BookHip.com/PQVFCMB 

Keep tabs on the sexy men of the DeLuca family by joining the Savage Bloodline Readers' Group. We’ll keep you up all month long. 

Book Info

Release Date: 3/15/22

ASIN- B092D9RGRW

Taglines 

In the streets and in the sheets, there’s one word that describes them best. SAVAGE.

The men of the DeLuca family are proof that the bigger the alpha, the harder they fall… in love.

Buy Links

Universal Buy Link - https://books2read.com/SavageBloodlineBoxset

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092D9RGRW/ 

Nook - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/savage-bloodline-kenya-wright/1139270630 

Apple - https://books.apple.com/us/book/savage-bloodline/id1561989851 

About the Series

Darkness lurks behind their gazes. There’s something sinister about their smiles. Their name incites fear in their enemies. Their touch arouses passion in the women they love. They are the DeLucas. In the streets and in the sheets, there’s one word that describes them best. SAVAGE.

The men of the DeLuca family are proof that the bigger the alpha, the harder they fall… in love.

Download this exclusive anthology featuring 20+ BRAND NEW mafia romances to find out which DeLuca you will fall in love with. But first, you must ask yourself one question: Are you ready to give your heart and body to a savage?

Immerse yourself in this dangerously seductive collection that includes:

*Arranged Marriages.

*Billionaire.

*Enemies to lovers.

*Forced Proximity

*Friends to lovers.

*One Bed

*Second-chance.

*And more!

They are an international organized crime family known for their lethality and chivalry. Only a fool will mistake their genteel ways for weakness. Cross any of them, and expect to spend the rest of your life watching your back and sleeping with one eye open!


Preorder the Savage Bloodline Boxset: https://books2read.com/SavageBloodlineBoxset

Add it to your TBR list on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57656059-savage-bloodline

Savage Alert!

What’s better than one hot savage? A family of them! Prepare to fall in love with the DeLuca crime family.

https://books2read.com/SavageBloodlineBoxset

Download the prequel, Brutal Bloodline, for Free: https://BookHip.comPQVFCMB 

#savagebloodlineboxset

Tears or Rain?

 Someone was going to die tonight.

Someone’s life was going to end before the clock struck twelve. Midnight. Their death would be painful, brutal. No mercy would be shown to them. Anyone who tried to defend them, anyone who got in the way, they too would die. That was the promise Enzo DeLuca had made to his grandfather.

And it was a promise he intended to keep, even if he had to burn the entire city to the ground to do so. Before he could keep his pledge, he first had to bury their fallen. He had to say his final goodbye to the man who’d been more like a father than a grandfather to him. The man who’d raised him. The man who’d nurtured him. The man who’d shaped him into the person he was today.

To this man, he owed his life. For this man, tonight, he was going to take a life. Rain fell in sheets on that cold and dreary January day in Bari, Italy. It was as if even mother nature was mourning the loss of Ermanno Deluca. Unlike most of those around him, Enzo DeLuca refused to stand under the shield of an umbrella.

He wanted to feel the cold rain against his skin. He wanted it to drip down his face like tears. Tears he refused to shed. There would be no crying for him. Not yet. Not until he’d kept his promise to his grandfather. Not until he’d put a bullet in the heart of the bastard responsible for the pain the DeLuca family was feeling today.

Perhaps this rain was a parting gift from his grandfather, who knew Enzo would not feel worthy of crying over his death, not until the person responsible was dead too. Enzo refused to allow his grandfather’s body to grow cold in the earth while his killer lived life to the fullest, making money, eating, sleeping, fucking, living as if he hadn’t caused the death of a Don. As if he hadn’t taken the patriarch of the DeLuca family away from them.

He refused to allow the DeLuca name to be made weak by the actions of a coward. Though he’d yet to kill the person responsible, those who knew Enzo knew that the coward was a dead man walking. A zombie. He could see, he could feel, he could hear, but he was already dead. There was already a bullet chosen for him.

A bullet blessed by his grandfather before he’d taken his final breath and left Enzo to deal with the chaos the coward had created. Yes, the coward was still moving around in the world of the living, but he was on borrowed time. And that time would expire tonight. It had taken Enzo a few days, but he now knew who the killer was and where to find him.

A life for a life. That was the code they lived by. The bastard would pay for his sins with his life. Not only because of the promise Enzo had made his grandfather but also to prove to their enemies that the DeLuca family was still a family of savages. Under his grandfather’s rule, they’d been nicknamed savage gentleman by some.

They kept to themselves and handled their business as gentlemen, Men of Honor. But when fucked with, they revealed just how brutal their bloodline was, how ruthless their organization was. He knew other families were watching and waiting to see if they’d live up to that title. They were watching to see if they would fall apart or rise up now that Ermanno DeLuca was no longer around.

It wasn’t only their enemies who were watching them. Members of the family were also paying close attention. Today, family members from all around the world were attending the funeral of their Don. Yet, half of them hadn’t shown their faces in Italy in years. They’d moved away and only returned home for funerals and weddings.

Some didn’t even come for that. Yet, they’d come for the funeral of Don DeLuca. Not out of respect, love, or loyalty. They came to see if there would be drama and to see if the passing of the title would cause chaos amongst the organization. Already there was speculation of who the new Don would be.

Whispers of who some wanted it to be had already reached Enzo’s ears. Whispering and talking behind backs were actions of weak men. Enzo liked to handle things face to face. And those who were whispering behind his back would soon have to face him. There was another group of people who’d come to the funeral. His grandfather always referred to people like them as vultures.

They were the ones who’d shown up so they could sidle up to the new Leader and try to get on his good side early so they could make requests of him later. Then there were those who were happy the old Don was dead. They were there to verify it for themselves and to silently gloat that they’d outlived Ermanno DeLuca.

If Enzo could, he’d put a bullet in all those who felt that way. Then he’d bury them underneath his grandfather’s grave so that he could rest in peace the same way he’d lived, with his enemies beneath his feet. As Enzo stared around him, he noted that there was one last group of people present. The loyal.

They were the ones who’d truly come to pay their respects to their fallen Leader. Ermanno DeLuca had been hated by many but loved by more. He’d been a fair Don, who’d steered the organization away from wars and into alliances that benefited them. Some had been happy with the changes he’d made. Others had wanted to go back to the old ways.

They wanted to go back to the old days. The days when organizations fought against organizations regularly to prove who was the more ruthless, to prove who should be the king of the streets. Don DeLuca had won that war and claimed that title. He’d found no need to fight continuously.

However, there were some who’d enjoyed the wars, the chaos, the death, and destruction. It was true. The wars had led to the respect their organization and family enjoyed today. It led to them becoming the most feared family in Italy. The name, DeLuca, was feared and respected worldwide. Yet, the wars hadn’t only brought them glory.

It had brought death and destruction to so many of their people. A lot of blood and tears had been shed for them to hold the position they held today. The Don had taught Enzo to respect those who’d died so that he could stand where he stood. He’d told Enzo not to let those blood and tears be shed in vain.

Some of the family didn’t feel the same way. The problem was determining the motives of those around him. It was hard to tell who was for you and who was against you at a time like this. How was he to know who was crying and who wasn’t? Tears or rain? That was the guessing game he was playing. And he was losing.

The voice of his right-hand man, Stefano Masiello, sounded over the comm-link in his ear. “Enzo, after the funeral, you must go to the reception. You have to show your face there. We all do. As soon as the funeral is over, we can head there.”

Enzo was impatient. He didn’t give a damn about a reception. If he could, he’d skip the entire event. It would only be a bunch of motherfuckers, smiling in his face, telling him stories of the old days and things Don DeLuca had done. He’d heard those stories. He’d seen those smiles. Why the fuck did he need to see and hear them again?

“Nod if you agree, Enzo.”

His gaze darted to the other side of the burial site where Stefan stood. He knew Stefan was only looking out for him. He knew he needed to attend the reception to keep up appearances. However, there were more important things he needed to do. He wouldn’t be able to rest until his fingers were coated with the blood of his enemy.

He wouldn’t be able to rest until his grandfather was avenged and the entire world knew it. But the reception was not something he could skip. Therefore, he nodded. A shadow crept overhead, and the chill of the rain ceased descending upon him. From the corner of his eye, he saw his cousin, Vito DeLuca, stepping forward, holding an umbrella.

“The rain is getting harder,” Vito told him.

“I know.”

“But you don’t care, right?”

Enzo nodded. Vito sighed. Both men stood there, silent once more as they listened to the preacher.

“Sorry, I got here late,” Vito apologized.

“At least you came. Some did not. They will pay the penalty.”

“Not everyone was as close to Grandfather as you and I.”

“But we’re all of his blood. And we’re all supposed to come home when we’re called.”

“You’re right. Family is family. We’re bound together by blood. When needed, we must come.”

“You sound like Grandfather.”

“That’s because those are his words. I’m going to miss our monthly chats over the phone.”

“When did you last talk to him?”

“A week before he was shot. If I’d known then what I do now, I would’ve stayed on the phone with him longer.”

Like his cousin, he’d also been playing the ‘If I’d known game’. If he’d known what he knew now, he would’ve spent more time with his grandfather. He would’ve made time to travel with him.

Every time the Don mentioned taking a trip to the States, Enzo’s excuse was always that he was too busy. He’d give anything to take that trip with him now. Enzo swallowed the lump of aguish rising from within him. No tears. Not yet. It wasn’t time.

Facing Vito, he asked, “What were Grandfather’s last words to you?”

“He told me to always remain true to what I believe in. He told me that he trusted me to do what was right for the family, even if it wasn’t of popular opinion.”

“Grandfather talked about you a lot. He liked the road you’d chosen. He said we needed more men like you to keep us on the right path.”

For a while, neither of them said a word. Then Vito asked, “What were his last words to you?”

The Don’s last words to Enzo were much different from what he’d said to Vito. That was because he expected something different from Enzo. Though the weight of his Grandfather’s expectations of him was heavy, Enzo wouldn’t let him down, and he wouldn’t fold under the pressure.

He’d do exactly as he was told. His eyes were glued to the casket as it was lowered into the ground. Goodbye Grandfather. Rest in peace, Don Ermanno DeLuca. No crying. It still wasn’t time for that yet.

“Enzo,” Vito called to him. “What were Grandfather’s last words to you?”

As the casket disappeared, Enzo responded. “He told me to remind them of who we are.”

Savages.

Kenya Wright, Amarie Avant, Xavier Neal, Keta Kendric, Sonja B, Courtney Dean, L Loren, Sage Young, M’Renee Allen, Tiye, Shani Greene-Dowdell, Tamika Brown, Lyndell Williams, Imani Jay, Siera London, PE Kavanagh, Cassie Verano, Amaya Black, Theresa Hodge, Kasey Martin

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