Win a Kindle Fire this Black Friday Weekend!

BLACK FRIDAY BOOK SALE

With KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAYS
November 28 – December 1

We’re Giving Away Kindles! One Each Day!

https://bookwrapt.com/black-friday/

Who needs to stand in lines on Black Friday or wait until Cyber Monday to score bargains? Not you.

Not when you can score some awesome reads right now in our Black Friday Book Sale. 

Contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, erotic romance, mystery, NA/YA, science fiction, fantasy, we have it all! EVERY BOOK in our sale is either discounted or free for the four days of this event ONLY.

And while you’re browsing the sale, be sure to play our Scavenger Hunt game for your chance to take home a Kindle Fire 7. We’re giving away a Fire to one lucky winner each day of the sale!

Look for Books from Your Favorite Authors!

Anna Durand • Bethany-Kris • Chloe Flowers • Christine Myers • DB McNicol • Debbie White • Diane Benefiel • Donna Schlachter • E.B. Black • Em Petrova • Erica Monroe • Heidi Vanlandingham • Jacki Delecki • Jacqueline Diamond • Jami Klein • Jamie K. Schmidt • Jana Richards • Jenna Barwin • Jerri Corgiat • Josie Riviera • Karen Michelle Nutt • Karina Kantas • Kerry Blaisdell • Kim Hornsby • Laine Watson • Laura Ashwood • Lia Davis • Lucy Lakestone • Margaret Tanner • Marlow Kelly • Megan Ryder • Melissa McClone • Michelle Dalton • Mimi Barbour • Nina Beaumont • Penelope Wylde • Quinn • Ravyn Wilde • Renee Carr • Rhondi Ann • Rose Pearson • Soraya Naomi • Stephanie Queen • Stormy Legend • Sydney Aaliyah Michelle • Theresa Beachman • Aileen Harkwood

#NewRelease from Julie Howard: WILD CRIME

Julie Howard is today's guest and she's talking about how clothes make the character in a work of fiction. WILD CRIME, Julie's latest book in the Wild Crime series, releases on Dec. 4. For a limited time, the first two books in the series are on sale for .99 cents. Check out the links below. Welcome Julie!

I cleaned out my closet the other day, pulling out old sweaters I never liked and ill-fitting blue jeans until two distinct piles formed on the floor. One pile was for those items definitely “out,” the second was for those that didn’t fit anymore or were no longer in fashion, but I couldn’t bear to part with. Clothing is personal. We wear it next to our skin. While it doesn’t make the man or woman, what we wear does impact how we feel and often, how others view us.

It’s the same with a character in a book. For my main character, Meredith Lowe, a move to a different state upended her life. In one day, she lost her home and all that was familiar. Her arrival in Hay City, Idaho – particularly toward the end of winter – takes her off balance and makes her feel particularly vulnerable. In her own home of Oakland, California, temperatures rarely fall to freezing.

(From Crime and Paradise): Her clothes weren’t warm enough for the snowy winter weather; it was as though she needed a new, heavier skin to live here. Not another country. I’ve moved to another planet.

Life starts rough for Meredith and takes a turn for the worse when her abusive husband is murdered and she is accused of the crime. Her clothing throws her off guard in the worst of moments. Even when she attempts to dress up, she will discover a frayed sleeve or a hole in her socks.

In book three, Wild Crime, Meredith develops the confidence to uncover uncomfortable family secrets. A few clothing snafus indicate how easy it is to fall back into old doubtful thinking patterns. In this scene, she still can’t quite pull herself together for a meeting with an attorney, yet she sees others doing so quite effortlessly:

(From Wild Crime): She wore the same blue sundress as before, the only nice clothing she packed, and the kids in their second-to-last last clean shorts and T-shirts. Curtis wore neatly-pressed khakis and a maroon long-sleeved shirt, with the collar open and sleeves rolled up. Somehow, he’d traveled across the country without wrinkling his clothes into a thousand lines.

Curtis, of course, is Meredith’s love interest. He is her cool-headed lodestar, always steady and deliberative in thinking and action. He’s a man prepared for any circumstance, and his clothes are a reflection of this.

Wild Crime releases on Wednesday (Dec. 4). This blog runs on a perfect day, since for today only (Nov. 29), the first two books in the series are on sale for .99 cents. Links to all three books are below.

But first, here’s the blurb for Wild Crime:

"I'm a murderer. I'm a murderer. I'm a murderer."

Those three repeated words discovered in an old letter propel Meredith Lowe in a cross-country pursuit to unveil her mother's murky past. Danger stalks Meredith back to Hay City, Idaho as she peels apart the mystery: who is her father, and did her mother kill him? In finding the answer, will a growing love slip through her fingers?

Past merges with the present as the story races to its stunning conclusion.


And an Excerpt:

Her hair fell below her waist, ripped free of its ties and weighed down by the warm, lashing rain. The sky-blue dress, so carefully chosen for this night and tried on so many times in her bedroom, was ruined. One strap had torn from her shoulder and dangled down her back. Mud splattered the hem. Sweet Cantaloupe lipstick, a lovely coral that heightened the green in her eyes, was smeared like a bruise on one cheek. She ran.

The high school gym behind her, decorated in crepe paper and curtains, vibrated with electric guitars and teen-aged hormones. Couples gyrated on the dance floor and then disappeared into dark corners. It was late and the Spring Dance was in full throttle. No one would miss her for hours.

Before her, trees dripped moss, barely visible in the darkness. She envisioned the moss brushing her shoulders, low branches snagging in her hair, the possibility of snakes both at her feet and above; this made her hesitate. It would take one scream, one gasp, and he would find her.

Buy links for Wild Crime:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2W8j0Pt

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/wild-crime/id1482591716

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-crime-julie-howard/1134112545?ean=9781509228638


Here are links to Crime and Paradise – last day at 99 cents!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2H4LtAg

Apple: https://books.apple.com/au/book/crime-and-paradise/id1267071886

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crime-and-paradise-julie-howard/1126668702?ean=2940158815881


Here are links to Crime Times Two – limited time sale at 99 cents!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VMZlUv

Apple: https://books.apple.com/au/book/crime-times-two/id1436345028

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crime-times-two-julie-howard/1129472600?ean=2940161941164


About the author:

Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime series, and Spirited Quest. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. She is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild, editor of the Potato Soup Journal, and founder of the Boise chapter of Shut Up & Write. Learn more at juliemhoward.com.

Visit the Julie Howard on these social media sites:

Website: http://juliemhoward.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Howard/e/B07D6CS4NQ/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/julie-howard?list=author_books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward

Black Friday Sale!

Until Sunday December 1, the three books in the Love at Solace Lake series are on sale for .99 cents! Get your e-copy today!

She can’t handle 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.

Available at: Amazon |

No matter how deeply buried, secrets rise to the surface.

Scarlett Lindquist has agreed to help her sisters rebuild the dilapidated fishing lodge in Minnesota they inherited from their grandparents. Although the lengthy restoration is bringing the three sisters closer together, Scarlett’s support is temporary. Her leave of absence from her job in Chicago is temporary and she has no intention of staying at Solace Lake Lodge, where the lake holds dark secrets. When frightening childhood memories resurface, they are tempered by her fascination with an irritating contractor. If only she could trust her feelings for him. If only he could trust her.

Cameron Hainstock meets Scarlett at his brother’s wedding to her sister and their attraction is instantaneous. But Cam avoids the beautiful marketing executive. All his efforts are aimed at battling for custody of his only child. When the unimaginable happens and Cam faces the biggest challenge of his life, he’s reluctant to accept help to halt his downward spiral. Can they learn to trust each other and fight for a future together or will they go their separate ways?

Available at:  Amazon 

The truth could destroy them. Or set them free.

Maggie Lindquist left Solace Lake determined never to return. Circumstances have pulled her back and she’s helping to restore her family’s dilapidated fishing lodge. When she agreed to the plan she didn’t expect to have to work side by side with the man who abandoned her ten years earlier. She didn’t expect to like him, or want him ever again. But can she trust him as she once did?

Luke Carlsson rushes home to tend to his ailing mother. Her lengthy illness means he needs to stay, at least temporarily. And to stay, he needs to work. Solace Lake Lodge offers him a job and an opportunity to work with the woman he’s never stopped loving. But the restoration is unleashing secrets hidden for decades and no one is left unscathed. Especially not Maggie and Luke, whose love needs to be resilient enough to forgive, and strong enough to build a future together.

Available at: Amazon 

My Favorite Winter Things by Luanna Stewart #newrelease

Luanna Stewart is here to tell us about a few of her favorite winter things. She's got a brand new book coming out too, and I love the excerpt for IF I DIDN'T CARE. Enjoy!

These are a few of my favourite…winter activities…

As much as I like raindrops on flowers and whiskers on kitties, this is the time of year when I’m wishing for warm mittens. I enjoy living where we have four markedly distinct seasons. I even venture out into the winter wonderland when it happens. But given my druthers I’d rather be:

~ in my kitchen baking something sweet, either a new recipe or one of my tried and true favourites. The bonus of baking is the hot oven helps to warm the house.

~ knitting a pair of socks for one of my boys, or yet another hat for my husband, or even just a dishcloth. If it’s a simple project I’ll watch something on TV while I knit. But if the pattern involves following a complicated chart, then I’ll listen to an audio book.

~ reading from my to-be-read pile that seems to grow no matter what I do. I swear I haven’t bought a book since…cough…yesterday.

~ sewing another set of curtains. Our new house has lots of windows and I gave myself the task of making the draperies so…. It wouldn’t be so bad except full-length curtains are BIG which means my ‘work table’ is the floor of my study – my aching knees!

~ writing, of course, because no matter how strong the winds howl and no matter how much snow piles against the door, I can write my way to a warm meadow caressed by a soft breeze with only the rasp of a grasshopper and the trill of a goldfinch for company.

If autumn colours, pumpkin carving, and starlit nights are some of your favourite things, check out my new book, If I Didn’t Care.


Blurb, If I Didn't Care:

Guess who’s moving in next door?

Nicole Bennett is used to bad luck—it’s kind of a family curse. She’s spent the past year stitching her life back together after losing her dream job. Well, it paid the rent. Now stuck working at her family’s grocery store while wrangling a demoralized dad and a spoiled-brat sister, the last thing she needs is for the man who wrecked her life to move in next door, even if it is for only three weeks. So what if he’s sexier than sin and makes her believe in fairy tale endings?

Ross Calvert’s life in the fast lane crashed when he lost his job and fiancée. All he’s got to show for years of hard work are a sleek sports car and a closet full of designer suits – minus the closet. Determined to salvage his relationship with his best friend, he trades in the corporate life for a brief stint as a caregiver. The decision was simple—until he discovers the tempting vixen he wronged lives next door. Maybe she’s what he needs to reboot his life.

What starts off as a no-strings fling soon veers into making promises that might be impossible to keep.

Excerpt:

He propped an elbow next to the credit card reader and leaned closer. “How about you and I get a coffee?"

"Not happening." She pressed a key on her register. “Thirty-nine eighty, please.”

"You must get a break." He slid his credit card into the reader.

She leaned her hands on the counter. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" A tickle of dread stole the fun out of the little flirt session. Being asked if he remembered was never a good way to start a conversation with a woman, covering as it did a myriad of hidden death traps. A forgotten birthday, or anniversary, or first date, or worst of all, a one-night-stand. He doubted he'd forget a night spent with Nicole, but he couldn't rid himself of a sick feeling, much like the sense of impending doom at the crest of a roller coaster track.

She slammed the cash drawer shut and handed him the receipt. "Halifax?"

"Yeah?" Shit, that word encompassed a hell of a lot of potential trouble. The city had a pub on every corner, to say nothing of the music clubs, restaurants, and casinos. Ample opportunities for a casual hook-up. Damn hard to remain lonely in Halifax.

"Dunstan and Woodville?"

What the hell? The tickle of dread became a punch in the gut. "That's where I work—used to work." Admitting the end of his dream hurt. All his work undone, all those long hours erased. Almost at the top of the ladder and he'd been knocked off. Stepped on a snake’s tail, and slid all the way to the starting line.

"Yeah, me, too."

Shit. Oh, shit. His smile slipped and he knew he looked like a guilty son-of-a-bitch. "You were in the accounting department. Assistant office manager."

"Ding, ding, ding. Give the man a prize."

"Until you were let go."

"Ah…no. Until you fired me. You."


Buy link:

https://books2read.com/if-I-didnt-care

Author Bio:

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing spicy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical romance. When not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband and two spoiled cats.

To stay up-to-date on all her book news, and receive tasty recipes from her kitchen, subscribe to her monthly-ish newsletter here.

Social media:

Website:  http://www.luannastewart.com/
BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/luanna-stewart
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Luanna_Stewart
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Luanna.Stewart.nau
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/luannastewart/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14104212.Luanna_Stewart
Amazon Author Page:  www.amazon.com/author/luanna_stewart

New Release from Nan Reinhardt - CHRISTMAS WITH YOU

I'm thrilled to have my friend Nan Reinhardt as my guest today. Nan's new book, CHRISTMAS WITH YOU, releases today! Yay! This is book 3 in the Four Irish Brothers Winery Series. Can't wait to read Aiden's story! 

She’s loved him all her life… but will he be there when she needs him the most? 

Disheartened and adrift after being written out of a hit TV show, actor Aidan Flaherty returns to his family’s historic winery, where he’s invested some of the fortune he’s made. As the holidays approach, Aidan becomes intrigued with the old showboat that’s dry-docked just east of town… and even more intrigued with the daughter of his former mentor, who now owns it. He decides to buy the boat and restore it to its former glory.

Single mom Holly Santos is back in River’s Edge after her divorce and she is over men in general and actors in particular. If she could only get rid of her father’s old showboat, a source of fascination for her son, Mateo. She never expects her old crush to walk into her tea shop or the fireworks that happen every time they’re in the same room.

Can Aidan convince her that he is determined to restore their shared heritage on the showboat and that he’s home to stay?

https://tulepublishing.com/books/christmas-with-you/

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Four-Irish-Brothers-Winery-ebook/dp/B07YNZQCWX

Excerpt:

“You have beautiful eyes.” Oh, good God. The words were out before he could stop them. Immediately, he backpedaled. “I’m not coming on to you, I swear, it’s just this is the first time I’ve actually seen someone with violet eyes. I-I mean... in person.” Heat rose in his cheeks. Blushing! Holy crap. He didn’t blush anymore—hadn’t in years. 

She punched in his purchases. “Come on, rock star. All those Hollywood starlets and groupies and not a single one had eyes the same color as mine?” Her voice dripped sarcasm as she held out her hand for his credit card. “It’s thirteen sixty with tax.”

He fumbled in his wallet for his Amex Black card. “Why do you keep calling me that? I’m an actor, not a rock star.”

“I’m using it generically.” She passed the card back to him with another eye roll. “We don’t take Amex. What else have you got?”

Biting his lip to keep from expelling a frustrated breath, he handed over his VISA, the one where two percent of the money he spent went to save the redwoods. If it impressed her at all, she hid it well as she tapped the card on the screen, thrust it back at him, and turned the screen around so he could sign it with his finger. He hated doing that. His signature always ended up looking like his six-year-old niece, Ali, had written it. “Thanks so much for opening up for me.” 

“Don’t expect me to do it again.” She walked swiftly around the counter to the door, twisted the key in the lock, opened it, then stood glaring at him, one hand on her slim hip. 

In that moment, Aidan could have sworn they’d met before. “You look really familiar. Do I know you?”

Author Bio:

Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today-bestselling author of romantic fiction for women in their prime. Yeah, women still fall in love and have sex, even after 45! Imagine! She is a wife, a mom, a mother-in-law, and a grandmother. Nan has been a copyeditor and proofreader for over 25 years, and currently works on romantic fiction titles for a variety of clients, including Avon Books, St. Martin’s Press, Kensington Books, and Entangled Publishing, as well as for many indie authors.

Although she loves her life as an editor, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. Her latest novel, Meant to Be, Book 2 in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series from Tule Publishing releases on July 18, 2019. A Small Town Christmas, which is the first book in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series from Tule Publishing, is available now, and she is currently hard at work on Book 3.

Visit Nan’s website at www.nanreinhardt.com, where you’ll find links to all her books as well as blogs about writing, being a Baby Boomer, and aging gracefully…mostly. Nan also blogs every sixth Wednesday at Word Wranglers, sharing the spotlight with five other romance authors and is a frequent contributor the RWA Contemporary Romance blog, and she contributes to the Romance University blog where she writes as Editor Nan.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Instagram

The Secondary Character in All of Us by Colleen Donnelly

Colleen Donnelly loves secondary characters as much as I do. In this post, she shares some actual lines from her novel ASKED FOR from one of the secondary characters, Magdalena Paine. They will indeed make you laugh and cry as they tell her story. Thanks for being here, Colleen!

The Secondary Character in All of Us

I’ve felt secondary. If you have as well, I offer you little treasures from a secondary character in “Asked For” who will make you laugh as well as cry. Magdalena Paine, the oldest daughter of a man who wanted only sons and treated her accordingly, takes surviving rejection to a new art form—

She started out Magdalena Paine, then became Magdalena something different…several something differents over time.

Magdalena was seventeen, wore too much makeup, and drew on cigarettes until the ends flared orange.

Nothing bothered Magdalena and she was never afraid.

“Magdalena said to tell Mama she’s gone out, but to tell Pop she’s looking for a job.”

Magdalena was like water on a fire. She’d never burn; she made sure of it.

Magdalena claimed she cleaned houses for the elderly—irregular hours, decent pay from folks who didn’t mind if she wore makeup and smoked.

Magdalena stood. “I’m getting married. It’s Earl. He’s a good enough guy, so I’m going to do it.”

Magdalena changed after she married Earl. She smelled stronger of smoke, and chose brighter colors for her makeup. Harold said more makeup wasn’t good for a married woman.

“I wanna drive,” young Magdalena shouted at her father. “I wanna drive a truck.” He didn’t notice how prince-like his arms felt as he peeled his child from the truck and set her on the ground. They made the girl in her alive. Until he walked away.

The car ground to a stop, flinging a mop of hair over the steering wheel. The driver’s door opened, and Magdalena’s grin appeared over its top. “I drive now.”

Earl was gone. Magdalena said she caught him with someone else, and he was no good anyway.

Joe slapped Magdalena for scratching his car. She scratched it again as she walked away.

Magdalena was quiet…until her father came home. He called it sass. Her mother called it starvation.

“This is Max. This is his car. And his lighter.” Max looked old enough to be Magdalena’s father.

“Why do you think your daughter chose a man your age?” Mama turned on Pop. “That little girl who rode pretend ponies to get away, who was determined to drive, who wore makeup when you told her not to, who sassed you just to get your attention couldn’t get love here, so she went out to find it.”

“Max is asleep again! I swear, it’s like living in a coma with him.”

“Whose car is this?” James looked at Magdalena. “Kevin’s,” she said. Eventually she’d tell them who Kevin was. And whether Max was still her husband. 

Magdalena packed. Kevin hadn’t panned out like she’d planned.

“I have money. I work, remember?” Magdalena hadn’t mentioned cleaning houses in forever, but she always had money.

I call myself just Magdalena now. I’ll never be Magdalena Paine again. That girl became so many Magdalena somethings, every last name attached to a man like Pop in some way. Magdalena Paine died then, and a new Magdalena was born. I like this one. She’s beautiful.

Blurb for Asked For:

Cletus asked for Lana when she was barely more than a child. He told her grandmother he wanted a wife, not a bride, someone to keep his house the way he wanted it and to give him sons. He got more daughters than sons.

Jim Dillon wanted Lana — he always had. He just hadn’t expected her to be taken away and married to someone else so soon. Glen Morgan recognized the beauty underlying Lana’s worn features, and he stepped in where Cletus hadn’t.

Lana and her children grew up under Cletus’ demands, fulfilling what was expected until each discovered what was most important — each other and themselves.

Author Bio:

Colleen L Donnelly was born in the Midwestern US where she has returned after several years of living in other places, proving, “There’s no place like home.” A scientist by profession and an outdoors person by passion, she has learned to find and generate stories wherever she’s been and whatever she’s done.

Buy Links: 
Asked For – http://amzn.to/1TyflEu
Mine to Tell – http://amzn.to/1PNJo4S
Love on a Train – http://amzn.to/1m9eYCx
The Lady’s Arrangement – http://amzn.to/2qj7DE2
Out of Splinters and Ashes – https://amzn.to/2K0WTHt

Social Media Links:
Website – http://www.colleenldonnelly.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ColleenLDonnelly
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ColleenLDonnell
Goodreads –  http://www.Goodreads.com/colleenldonnelly
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Colleen-L-Donnelly/e/B00ELP1GIA/

Character Interview with Lesllie Bowes

Leslie Bowes is here with an interview with her characters from HEART HEALER. Take it away, Leslie, Catherine and Christopher!

Hello Everyone, my name Catherine Andrews and I’m Christopher King and we are from Leslie Bowes’ Heart Healer. We are so happy to be with you today.

Question: Are you an only child? How many siblings do you have? Are you close or are you estranged?

Catherine: I have a young brother James. I have been taking care of him from the day he was born because my mother died giving birth to him and my father did not want him.

Christopher: I’m an only child. My mom died when I was very young and my dad never re-married.

Question: Are you married? Are you divorced? How many times have you been married?

Christopher: I’m married to Catherine. She and I met after my first wife left me and my son Ryan.

Catherine: I was married to the most evil man Blake Von-Cycler. After he attacked me on our wedding night, I tried to kill myself by throwing myself into the river, but my mother sent me through time. That’s where I met Christopher and we were married soon after.

Question: If you could go back in time for one day, where would you go?

Catherine: That is a funny question because I have time-traveled. I’m from England in the 1860s. I time-traveled to 2014.

Christopher: And I went back in time to save Catherine.

Question: What is your greatest fear?

Christopher: That I will lose Catherine for good this time.

Catherine:  That somehow my late husband Blake will come back to life and find me.

Question: Catherine, since coming to the future, what kind of movies and books do you like?

Catherine: I like really Nicholas Sparks’ books and one of my favorite movies is The Notebook, but I have really got into the Twilight saga.

Question: Speaking of Twilight, Catherine, are you team Edward or Team Jacob?

Catherine: Team Edward.

Question: Catherine, what kind of clothes do you like to wear?

Catherine: My friend Emma has been trying to get me to wear jeans but I’m not there yet. I like to wear skirts and dresses.

Question: Is there anything you are hoping that Leslie does not put in The Choices for Love?

Catherine: My greatest fear coming true.

Christopher: Turns out we can’t trust the people we thought we could.

Thank you so much Catherine and Christopher for coming today and we can’t wait to see you in The Choices for Love.

Blurb, Heart Healer:

Catherine Andrews is an English woman living in the 1800's. Her father sells her to Blake Von-Clyer to be his wife to pay off his debts. Catherine soon finds out Blake is a cruel and horrible man.

On their wedding night, to escape his cruelty, she throws herself into the river. Death is better than marriage to a beast.

Christopher King is living in 2014 doing his best to raise his young son Ryan after his wife left him. One night, Christopher finds a woman in the river unconscious and barely breathing. She is also wearing old fashioned clothes. Christopher does everything in his power to help the young women. When Catherine regains consciousness, she finds herself in a strange and unbelievable situation. Terrified, she does her best to keep her guard up against Christopher. But as she gets to know him, she can't help but fall for the man who saved her life. When Catherine's dangerous past comes back to haunt her, it has Catherine and Christopher fighting for each other and their love.

Excerpt:

"That’s true, but I don’t need a servant. I need a wife.” 

Catherine dropped the spoon as her whole body shook. What was her father planning to do? Hard work? A wife? What was going on? She was not her father’s slave to trade as he wished. She was his daughter. Too nervous to turn around, Catherine prayed that she heard wrong. 

“What did you say?” her father asked, shocked. 

“You heard me.” Mr. Von-Clyer laughed. “You had no problem selling her to me as a servant Mr. Andrews, but now that I want her for my wife your conscience haunts you. What’s the difference? Either way your debt to me is paid.” 

“Catherine, get over here now!” her father yelled drunkenly. The longer she stared at the vein in her father’s neck; she realized that she was making him angrier than Catherine had ever seen before. She slowly walked over to the table and stood in front of her father. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched him drink his last bit of wine. “You will be Mr. Von-Clyer’s wife to pay off my debt.” 

Author Bio:

I was born and raised in southern Maryland. When I was thirteen I moved to Summerville, South Carolina where I fell in love with the Lowcountry culture and history. South Carolina was my inspiration for my book Heart Healer. Recently I moved to central Virginia, and now I am enjoying the beauty and history of this area. The rolling hills and pastoral views will surely inspire ideas for future stories.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Healer-Book-ebook/dp/B07CXZRLCM    

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/reviews/heart-healer-leslie-bowes/1123523208?ean=2940162047773

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heart-healer-3

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heart-Healer-702127559856732/

#NewRelease and an Amazing Story from Judith Sterling

Judith Sterling is here to tell us an amazing true ghost story, one that sends shivers down my spine. She also shares an excerpt and blurb from her new time-travel romance, NIGHT OF THE OWL. Thanks for being here, Judith!

“Amazing” Story

Christmas of 1992 found me packing for Sweden, where I would study for the next six months under a Swedish Institute scholarship. At the time, which was well before I met my husband, my Swedish-American boyfriend arranged for me to stay in his grandmother’s empty house in Stockholm for the week leading up to nyårsafton (New Year’s Eve). It was a small, quaint dwelling with numerous knick-knacks and—as I would soon discover—a tragic past.

The bedroom where I slept opened onto an alcove, above which hovered the trap door to the attic. My first night, I woke with a start…to darkness and an acute sense of someone lurking in the alcove. The space was alive with creaking floorboards and a bluish light.

A flashlight? An intruder?

My heart pounded. I shifted in bed to gain a better view.

No one was there. Or so it seemed.

I slid out of bed and tiptoed around the house, just to be sure I was alone. The doors were locked, and by the time I climbed back into bed, the strange light was gone. I fluffed up my pillow and rearranged the bedcovers.

Scraping, scratching sounds filled the alcove. Had rats infested the attic?
A rush of emotions slammed into me. Despair. Dread. Distress. Not mine but another’s.

Every night brought the same experience: the light, the sounds, and the mood. Months later, I learned the truth. My boyfriend’s uncle had committed suicide years before. He’d hung himself in the alcove, not ten feet from where I slept. If I’d known that at the time, I would’ve tried to help him move on. I hope he has since found peace.

Blurb for Night of the Owl (The Novels of Ravenwood, Book Four):

PhD student Ardyth Nightshade has renounced men and pursues her twentieth-century career with single-minded focus. When fate whisks her to medieval England, she meets her match in a man whose passions mirror her own. Can she sacrifice ambition for a love she never sought?

Hugh, Lord Seacrest confounds all who know him. He refuses to marry without a meeting of minds and hearts, and no lady has even approached his ideal…until Ardyth. But she's an odd one, with unique skills, shocking habits, and total conviction she needs no man. She also harbors secrets, and in the midst of rumors, plots, and murder, trust is fragile.

A woman outside of her time. A man ahead of his. They must take a leap of faith to forge a bond that will shape history.

Excerpt:

Hugh stormed into the cave, unable to stem the tide of jealousy swelling inside him.  A pox on Ranulf!  Ardyth thought him smart, talented, kind, and handsome.  She told me she didn’t need a man.  Now here she is, half in love with a goliard!

Her arms dropped to her sides, and she stumbled backwards.

He stopped and frowned.  “Why do you recoil?”

She halted and lifted her chin.  “Why do you look so angry?”

With purposeful strides, he closed the distance between them.  “I met Lady Isobel near the gatehouse.  She told me you were here, talking of Ranulf.”

“Oh, she did!  How good of her to report my every move, and how predictable that you prize her opinion above mine.”

“As you prize Ranulf above other men?”  He clenched his fists, willing her to contradict him yet knowing she wouldn’t.

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw the pair of you last night…conversing cozily in the hall.  ʼTis obvious he’s claimed your affections, though how I cannot—”

“What?!”  Her flushed face was a mask of disbelief.

“You heard me.”

“I did, but I doubted my ears.  A man of your depth and perception must’ve realized that…”

His clamped fingers relaxed.  “Realized…what exactly?”

“Must I say it out loud?”

“I think you’d better.”

With a huff, she rolled her eyes.  “Ranulf is just a friend.  If there’s anyone I like around here, ʼtis you!”

He hesitated only an instant, long enough to absorb what she’d said.  Then he grasped her arms, pulled her to him, and pressed his lips to hers.

Breaking free of his hold, she took his face between her hands and returned his kiss with passionate abandon.  Her tongue took the lead.  Her moan harmonized with the howling wind.  She tasted of elderberries, ginger, and honey.  Of lust and life.  Heat rushed through him, heightening every sense as he gave himself to the kiss.

Buy Links:

Amazon https://www.amzn.com/B07YCX3R2B
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/night-of-the-owl-judith-sterling/1133653973
iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/night-of-the-owl/id1482587240
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/night-of-the-owl-1

Author Bio:

Judith Sterling is an award-winning author whose love of history and passion for the paranormal infuse everything she writes. Whether penning medieval romance (The Novels of Ravenwood) or young adult paranormal fantasy (the Guardians of Erin series), her favorite themes include true love, destiny, time travel, healing, redemption, and finding the hidden magic which exists all around us. She loves to share that magic with readers and whisk them far away from their troubles, particularly to locations in the British Isles.

Her nonfiction books, written under Judith Marshall, have been translated into multiple languages. She has an MA in linguistics and a BA in history, with a minor in British Studies. Born in that sauna called Florida, she craved cooler climes, and once the travel bug bit, she lived in England, Scotland, Sweden, Wisconsin, Virginia, and on the island of Nantucket. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband and their identical twin sons.

Social Media Links:
Website – https://judithmarshallauthor.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/judithsterlingfiction/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16291161.Judith_Sterling
BookBub –  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judith-sterling
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01MT3KB7L
The Wild Rose Press – https://www.thewildrosepress.com/authors/judith-sterling
The Captivating Quill – https://www.thecaptivatingquill.com/Author/Judith-Sterling

A little extra…

The hero and heroine’s mutual love of history reflects my husband’s and mine.  You might say history brought us together because right around the same time, each of us decided independently to move from different parts of the country to Virginia, specifically to seek work at Colonial Williamsburg.  Nowadays, we work (respectively) at The House of the Seven Gables and The Witch House here in Salem, MA.  There’s a lot of both of us in Night of the Owl.  That’s why the release date is perfect; it’s our 19th wedding anniversary.  As if that isn't enough, I wore my hair almost exactly like the cover model's on the big day.  Neither my publisher nor the cover artist knew about either coincidence.  Pretty cool, right?!