Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Coming Soon: Stormee Waters by Lynda Coker


Today Lynda Coker is my guest and she's here with her new contemporary sweet romance, STORMEE WATERS, which will be released January 14, 2015.


Dirk Savage never fails to acquire what he wants until he encounters Stormee Waters and a backwash of trouble...

Stormee Waters knows about hard times. Needing to care for her aging grandmother and teenage brother, she moves to Houston, Texas and takes a writing job for a popular magazine. Her first assignment is to interview a successful business man for a series of articles entitled, Make My Man Texas-Sized. Her target, Dirk Savage, appears to have the right criteria. He's adventurous with the air of a conqueror. Admired by his peers and coveted by beauty queens and debutantes, he's just the type of man that Stormee needs to make her first article sizzle and sell. But can she handle the heat when she catches his attention?

Dirk Savage is used to acquiring what he wants, except in the illusive quest for the one woman who can fill his heart. The shock of discovering her in the naive young woman assigned to interview him sets his jaded emotions on high alert. Can he convince her that his pursuit is genuine?

Here's an excerpt:

“How old are you?” His tone possessed a clipped edge of exasperation.

What does my age matter? Mortified, she fidgeted with the small purse she held in her lap. “Twe—twenty-three.”

“You blush and fidget like a little girl.”

To her astonishment, and with more force than necessary, he closed her door, circled the car, and slipped back behind the wheel. A few minutes later, he parked in front of the Stardust Restaurant. This time, when her door opened, he helped her out and led her toward the restaurant’s entrance, stopping just short to maneuver her into a secluded niche in the building’s exterior.

With her back against the rock wall, Stormee muttered, “What are you doing?”

“Time to make up for leaving me standing in your doorway.”

Shock kept her immobile, while the sweetest pleasure she’d ever experienced sensitized her mouth beyond bearing. With unhurried, soft kisses, he explored the corners of her clenched lips. Mrs. Stanton’s warning echoed in her ears. “Remember to keep it professional, Stormee. He’s not the kind of man you’re used to dealing with.” She pushed away the annoying memory as he wet her bottom lip with his tongue.


Author Bio:


Lynda is an author of contemporary romance that lingers in a reader’s mind long after they’ve closed the book. She lives in Northeast Texas with her husband of fifty years. They enjoy traveling, trying new foods, spending time with family and friends, and doing community service work together. When she feels the need to take a break from writing, she enjoys creating fabric art. She offers an open invitation to view both her writing and fabric art on her blog.

Blog:  http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/lyndacoker

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

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/lyndacoker/

Buy Links: Preorder at Amazon - http://amzn.com/B00R9YQZTK

The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6034

Stormee Waters Launch Giveaway Link:  http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/p/stormee-waters-launch-giveaway.html

Winner at Winter Warm-Up Bloghop!


Thank you to everyone who commented on and read my post for the Winter Warm-Up Bloghop. I've chosen the winner of a copy of my contemporary romance FIRST AND AGAIN, and it's going to

Holly Letson!

Congratulations Holly! I hope you enjoy the book. The grand prize winner of the $75 Amazon gift card is Stephanie Osborn. Congratulations Stephanie!

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Friday, December 19, 2014

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a Warm Winter!




Are you ready for Christmas? Are you going nuts with shopping, baking, sending Christmas cards and everything else the season entails?

Relax and enjoy some of the sights of the season.


What would Christmas be without cookies? 


I love Christmas lights! Here's some from my city.



I love angels!


These poinsettias are placed on the boulevard between the east and west lanes on a main street downtown. They really light up the night!


And my dog Lou is always ready for Christmas!

You can always relax with a good book, and this Christmas I hope you'll choose one of mine.


Bridget Grant is back in Paradise. Paradise, North Dakota, that is.

She’s swallowed her pride and moved back to her hometown with her daughter after her divorce and the loss of her catering company. Now she’s trying to navigate the strained relationships she’d left behind – including her first love, Jack Davison.

Jack never forgot Bridget, or the day she left town – and him. When Bridget caters a lunch at Jack’s tourist ranch, old flames reignite. They have more in common than ever – Jack’s also a single parent. Though they both try to keep things casual, Bridget, Jack and their girls are starting to look a lot like a family.

But Bridget’s only planning to stay in Paradise until she’s saved enough to relaunch her business. Jack’s invested too much in his ranch to leave. And with their daughters involved both have a lot more at stake than heartbreak. How can they risk falling in love?

To read an excerpt please check out FIRST AND AGAIN on my website.

I'm giving away an ecopy of FIRST AND AGAIN to one commenter who tells me what she/he is doing to get ready for Christmas this year. Or you can tell me what your favorite Christmas cookie is! The prize will be rewarded by December 24, 2014 so speak now!

Don't forget to enter the Bloghop-wide draw for a $75 Amazon gift card. (See the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post). One entry per person please. Draw will be made on December 23 using Random.org and posted on www.hopswithheart.blogspot.com

Don't forget to keep hopping! There are prizes at each stop.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

#HolidayRecipe with Kim Iverson Headlee, Author of LIBERTY


Jam-filled Crescent Rolls

Ingredients:
1 tube of pre-cut crescent roll dough
Your favorite jam(s)
Melted butter (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven as directed on the package for the type of baking sheet or pan you plan to use.
Open tube and unroll each triangle.

Spread a small amount of jam across the base of the triangle, no more than halfway toward the point. This is the tricky part, because the jam can ooze out and burn during baking.

Roll the triangle loosely and place on baking sheet. Brush with a little melted butter (optional).

Repeat for the remaining triangles, leaving at least 2 inches between crescents.
Bake as directed on the package, and do not over-bake!
Cool before serving. The jam can get very hot.


TITLE – Liberty, second edition
SERIES – N/A
AUTHOR – Kim Iverson Headlee
GENRE – Historical Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – December 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 462 pages/118K words
PUBLISHER – Pendragon Cove Press
COVER DESIGNER – Natasha Brown




“When the legend becomes fact,
print the legend.”





Please follow the Pre-Order & Launch Blog Tour
December 8-19
And don't forget to enter this great giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SYNOPSIS
They hailed her “Liberty,” but she was free only to obey—or die.

Betrayed by her father and sold as payment of a Roman tax debt to fight in Londinium’s arena, gladiatrix-slave Rhyddes feels like a wild beast in a gilded cage. Celtic warrior blood flows in her veins, but Roman masters own her body. She clings to her vow that no man shall claim her soul, though Marcus Calpurnius Aquila, son of the Roman governor, makes her yearn for a love she believes impossible.

Groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps and trapped in a politically advantageous betrothal, Aquila prefers the purity of combat on the amphitheater sands to the sinister intrigues of imperial politics, and the raw power and athletic grace of the flame-haired Libertas to the adoring deference of Rome’s noblewomen.

When a plot to overthrow Caesar ensnares them as pawns in the dark design, Aquila must choose between the Celtic slave who has won his heart and the empire to which they both owe allegiance. Trusting no man and knowing the opposite of obedience is death, the only liberty offered to any slave, Rhyddes must embrace her arena name—and the love of a man willing to sacrifice everything to forge a future with her.


BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON KINDLE: US – UK  – CA – AU
NOOK – INKTERA – ITUNES – KOBO – SCRIBD – SMASHWORDS

Paperback edition forthcoming!

EXCERPT

The warrior-woman looked heavier by at least two stone, but Rhyddes pinned her chest with her knee. She dropped the pitchfork and grasped her dagger, yanking it free. Grabbing a fistful of limed hair, she wrestled the woman’s head to one side to expose her neck.

The Pict bucked and twisted, trying to break Rhyddes’s grip. ’Twas not much different than wrestling a fever-mad calf.

Rhyddes’s deft slice ended the threat.

Blood spurted from the woman’s neck in sickening pulses.

Rhyddes stood, panting, her stomach churning with the magnitude of what she’d done. ’Twas no suffering animal she’d killed—and it could have been her lying there, pumping her lifeblood into the mud.

Bile seared her throat, making her gag. Pain lanced her stomach. Bent double, she retched out the remains of her morning meal, spattering the corpse.

After spitting out the last bitter mouthful and wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she drew a deep breath and straightened. As she turned a slow circle, her senses taking in the sights and sounds and stench of the devastation surrounding her, she wished she had not prevailed.

The news grew worse as she sprinted toward the lodge.

Of her seven brothers, the Picts had left Ian and Gwydion dead, her father and Owen wounded, the lodge and three outbuildings torched. She ran a fingertip over the crusted blood of her scratch, and she couldn’t suppress a surge of guilt.

Mayhap, she thought through the blinding tears as she ran to help what was left of her family, ’twould have been better had she died in the Pict’s stead.

The surviving raiders were galloping toward the tree line with half the cattle. The remaining stock lay stiffening in the fields, already attracting carrion birds.

Three days later, the disaster attracted scavengers of an altogether different sort.


Love this book? Please join Kim's All-Stars Street Team!


Friday, December 12, 2014

#HolidayRecipe from Author Tina Gayle

Tina Gayle is my guest today and she's sharing another holiday recipe. Tina, how about sharing your recipe for Lemon Curd with us?

Lemon Curd

6 Tbs unsalted butter--softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer about 2 minutes. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 minute. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but don't worry...

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter melts) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Be patient, this takes about 15 minutes. When you dip a spoon into the mixture and draw your finger (careful, it's hot) down the middle of the back of the spoon it will leave a path. Or, if you're like me and cook with a thermometer, it will read 170 degrees. DO NOT let the mixture boil.

Remove from heat and stir in the zest. Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in refrigerator. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.

Covered tightly this will keep in the fridge for a week and about 2 months in the freezer.

I like this cold with vanilla wafers.


Here's a blurb and an excerpt from Tina Gayle:

Executives' Wives' Club series

Four women...
One fatal car wreck...
Everyone's lives changed...

EWC1 -- "The Unwilling Widow"

Jennifer Larson, having lost her husband, friends and the perfect life she’d had planned, now faces the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executive Wife Club is still wallowing in the past, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney.

But does he really love her or is he only after her money?

Excerpt -

Jen gathered her strength and followed Hagan through the house. The easy flow of his long limbs showed incredible grace for a big man. So tempting, yet, she couldn’t pursue him. Not now, not with everyone watching her, they expected her to act like a grieving widow. If she didn’t, they’d forever brand her as an unloving wife.

She hated the farce, but she had no choice. No one knew her marriage had turned into a sham long before Craig died.

A few minutes later, she walked outside and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, with the showing done, she could return Hagan to his office. She locked the front door and stored the key in the lockbox. Spinning on her heels, she faced Hagan.

At the end of the porch, one foot already positioned on the first step with a hand out to assist her, he waited. “So, Jen, since we’re done for today, why don’t we meet tomorrow night for dinner?”

Jen edged backward and her butt hit the closed door. The urge to run away from his undeniable magnetism, and the problems he’d cause, sent her mind into a tail spin.

What in the hell should I do now?

About the Author

Tina Gayle was born in Texas, the place of her heart and where most of her family still lives. The youngest of four daughters, she grew up a dreamer.

She worked for years in the business world doing a variety of accounting jobs. Then when her two sons were little, Tina decided to go back to school to get a degree in MIS. She only used this degree a few years before deciding to follow her passion for writing romance.

Married twenty-five years, she and her husband love to travel and can’t wait for Mike to retire so they can do it more.

Find Tina Gayle everywhere

Home - www.tinagayle.net
Blog - www.tinagayle.blogspot.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle
Goodread - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle
Google + - https://plus.google.com
Linkin - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759

Sunday, December 7, 2014

#HolidayRecipe for a Quick and Easy Date Night Dinner

Author Anita Philmar is my guest today with a holiday recipe. Take it away Anita!

Choose your favorite wine. (Opening the bottle is something you can have your lover do.)

Make a quick dip of combining a mashed avocado with your favorite salsa. (Stir together and you are done.)

Open a bag of your favorite corn chips and you are ready to party.

Personally, I like to enjoy my wine and munch on the dip while I’m cooking the fajitas.

Now slice up
1 medium size onion
1 green pepper

Sauté in non-stick pan with two tablespoons of oil, add 12 medium size shrimp (Shelled and de-veined). Sprinkle with tablespoon of taco season (vary this to your taste), and cook until shrimp are done. Add some flour tortillas and dinner is served.

Now for desert – might I suggest you share a hot read, any of mine should put you in the mood.

Also if you are looking for other easy date night recipes – download for free Passionate Cooks
http://www.allromanceebooks.com//product-passionatecooks-944744-174.html

Have a great evening!

Here's Anita's current release. DEPUTY'S BRIDE is an erotic, historical western that is a stand-alone story with a satisfying HEA.


Texas Deputy Bo Kildare is looking for a special kind of lady, one that is willing to meet his special requirements. No sweet little virgin will do, he wants a woman who knows how to please a man, perhaps two.

 Recently widowed, Sarah Elizabeth Foster-LaFever has lived in the public eye for the last few years and wants out. Her reputation as Micah LaFever’s wife has left her penniless and without many viable options until Bo comes calling. Now, she believes she found the perfect man until her past rears its ugly head.

Can murder and corrupt dealings keep these two lovers from making it to the alter?

Excerpt: 

“God, when is he going to get here,” Sarah muttered and strolled to the free-standing, oval mirror in the corner. Critically, she examined her silk dressing gown’s high collar. Unable to breathe with every button running down the front of garment secured, she’d only connected a few at her waist. The dark red robe highlighted her creamy complexion and light blonde hair.

Through the open at the top, she viewed the curve of her breasts and the tight fit of her corset. The cream color almost matched her skin, creating the illusion that she was nude underneath. Tugging aside her wide skirt, she examined the long line of her legs. She’d opted to omit her bloomers. One, because with the fire raging in the fireplace, she was hot. Two, because she thought Mr. Kildare should get a glimpse of what he’d receive if he decided to make her his wife.

 Granted from what Madeline had told Sarah, the man wanted more than a dutiful wife. He sounded as if he were more like her deceased husband. Micah enjoyed playing extreme bedroom games.

 She frowned, thinking how much she’d missed sex in the last year. Not because she hadn’t had the chance to indulge. More because she hadn’t wanted to fall victim to the same power hungry crowd that Micah had belonged. She’d done enough for those bastards and she had no intentions of doing...  

Knuckles hammered against her door.

 Brushing a nervous hand over her hair, she offered up a silent prayer that everything would work out before she rushed back to the doorway. After a quick breath, she asked, “Who is it?”

 “Bo Kildare, I was sent by Madeline Cowden.”

A masculine tone rang from the other side.

 His voice alone sent shivers racing over her skin. She flipped back the lock and inched open the door. “Yes, she said you might be stopping by.”

Anita Philmar's Bio:

Anita Philmar likes to create stories that push the limit. A writer by day and a dreamer by night she wants her readers to see the world in a new way.

Influenced by sci-fi programs, she likes to develop places where anything can happen and where erotic moments come to life in a great read.

Naughty or Nice?
Read her books and decide.


I've done a holiday recipe exchange on Anita's blog. You can check out my recipe here. Thanks!