Bits 'n Bobs Author Blog
6/5/2015 1 Comment Guest Author, Lauren LinwoodHave you ever wondered how much an author might write of herself in a book? Read on to find out what bits of Lauren are in her newest book, a contemporary romantic suspense, Leave Yesterday Behind Writers always sneak little bits of themselves and their own history into the novels they write. At least I know I do! In my new romantic suspense release, Leave Yesterday Behind, I had the action start in New York City. As a native Texan, I grew up thinking New York had to be the most glamorous city on the planet. I’ve visited the Big Apple several times over the years, both with friends and family, and I never run out of things to do. My heroine Callie is a soap opera star. In the first chapter, I have her leaving the New York studio where she films the show. I’ve visited the ABC Studios in New York and had seen fans waiting for actors to come out. Callie’s the biggest star in daytime TV, so naturally she has fans (or fanatics??) waiting for her. Other bits I sneaked into my novel from my real life include: Callie has huge white dog named Wolf. So did my next door neighbors many years ago, a Japanese Akita that was huge and had a heart of gold. A former student of mine won the Cy Young baseball award last year, and my hero Nick is a former professional pitcher who also won that award while playing for the Dodgers. Nick is a writer, same as I am—but he’s won an Edgar award for his mysteries! Sadly enough, Nick shares with Callie how his characters misbehave all the time. They chunk the outlines he creates and go off on their merry way. My characters often do the very same thing! My husband and I honeymooned in New Orleans. I’ve always found it a fascinating, romantic city each time I’ve traveled there. Since Callie comes home to mend physically and emotionally after she’s attacked by a stalker in New York—and since her small hometown is only half an hour from NOLA—I just had to have Callie & Nick visit the Crescent City for a romantic day. Those are a handful of parts of me that are embedded into my romantic suspense, Leave Yesterday Behind. Blurb: Callie Chennault vaulted to fame on the nighttime soap Sumner Falls, but after a decade of playing the same role, she is ready for a new acting challenge. When Callie is attacked by a stalker on the streets of New York, she takes a leave of absence from the show and returns to her roots in Aurora, Louisiana, to heal both physically and emotionally and determine her next career move. Former professional baseball pitcher Nick La Chappelle has also come to Aurora to lick his own wounds after a messy divorce. A Cy Young winner and one-time ESPN broadcaster, Nick longs for the quiet of a small town in order to write murder mysteries under a pen name. Sparks fly when Callie believes Nick is taking advantage of her great-aunt’s hospitality, but they resolve their differences—and surprise themselves by falling in love. Their bond is tested when both Nick and Callie become the focus of a serial killer nicknamed Lipstick Larry. Can they outwit a murderer bent on seeing them dead and survive to build a lasting relationship? Buy Link for Leave Yesterday Behind: http://amzn.com/B00WXJIXP0 Other Books by Lauren: Music For My Soul: http://amzn.com/B00FQ0QGZM Outlaw Muse: http://amzn.com/B00FQ0QGZM A Game of Chance: http://amzn.com/B00HQVHR98 Written in the Cards: http://amzn.com/B00KGM0M1O A Bit of Heaven on Earth: http://amzn.com/B00QHMH0IU Ballad Beauty: http://amzn.com/B00U9TV2XQ Connect with Lauren: Website: http://www.laurenlinwood.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laurenlinwood Twitter: http://twitter.com/LaurenLinwood Blog: http://www.laurenlinwood.com/write-up-my-alley/ Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Linwood/e/B00CSSG8BC/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1406670019&sr=8-1 About Lauren: Lauren Linwood’s historical romances use history as a backdrop to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire for one another grows into the treasured gift of love. Her romantic suspense novels feature strong heroes and heroines who unite to defeat a clever antagonist and discover a deep, abiding love during their journey. A native Texan, Lauren is an avid reader, moviegoer, and sports fan who manages stress by alternating yoga with long walks. She plans to start a support group for House Hunters addicts—as soon as she finishes her next piece of dark chocolate.
1 Comment
5/26/2015 2 Comments Guest Author, CD HershToday I have CD Hersh on my blog with a unique look at some research they did for Son of the Moonless Night, due to be released tomorrow, May 27. Some of what they uncovered was eye-opening to me! Read on! Deadly Doses Cathy, Thanks so much for allowing us to share our research and book with your followers. One of the fun things about writing a book is the kind of research you get to do. For our book, Son of the Moonless Night, we delved into the world of poison, because our hero, Owen Jordan Riley, is a forensic scientist with a toxicology specialty. Ever since Owen read the story of Snow White and the poison apple, poisons have fascinated him. In one scene of the book, he nearly destroys the heroine’s appetite when he launches into a dissertation on poisonous foods and plants. Here are a few poisonous foods we didn’t know about. P.S. we left out the ones Owen used to spoil the heroine’s appetite. You’ll need to read the book to find those out. Amanita Mushrooms - These extremely toxic mushrooms have symptoms that develop six to forty-eight hours after ingesting them. By that time it’s too late to seek medical attention. Symptoms include sudden onset of extreme stomach pains, vomiting, thirst, and bloody diarrhea. Finally, you will lapse into a coma and die. Ackee - Jamaica’s national fruit will give you Jamaica Vomiting Sickness. If you eat it before fully ripe it can cause coma or death. Don’t eat the seeds they are always toxic. Elderberry - If the little old ladies in the play, Arsenic and Old Lace, had added roots and other parts of the tree to their elderberry wine, they might not have needed to put in the arsenic. While the berries can be eaten, the roots and other parts of the tree are highly poisonous. Almonds - are full of cyanide. Before consumption almonds should be processed to remove the poison. Don’t worry. It’s illegal in the U.S. to sell raw almonds. So your bag of raw almonds have been heat treated to remove the cyanide. Cherries - are in the same family as almonds. But only the cherry seed, which produces hydrogen cyanide when chewed, is poisonous. So don’t bite the cherry pip. You’ll not only break a tooth, you’ll poison yourself. Potatoes - The stems and leaves are poisonous and so is the potato itself, if it is eaten green. Death normally comes after a period of weakness and confusion, followed by a coma. Lima Beans - contain a high level of cyanide if you eat them raw. Be sure to cook them thoroughly, uncovered to allow the poison to escape as a gas. Don’t drink the water they are cooked in either. So what is your favorite food that is hazardous to your health? Title – Son of the Moonless Night, The Turning Stone Chronicles, book three Author – C.D. Hersh Genre – Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Suspense Romance Heat Level - Sensual Release Date: May 27th, 2015 HOOK Thrust back into the world of paranormal huntress, Deputy Coroner Katrina Romanovski must unravel a string of murders she believes are vampire attacks. When she discovers the shape shifter she’s in love with is the murderer, she must reconcile her feelings for him, examine her life of violence against paranormals, and justify deceiving him in order to bring him to justice. BLURB Owen Todd Jordan Riley has a secret. He’s a shape shifter who has been hunting and killing his own kind. To him the only good shifter is a dead shifter. Revenge for the death of a friend motivates him, and nothing stands in his way . . . except Katrina Romanovski, the woman he is falling in love with. Deputy coroner Katrina Romanovski has a secret, too. She hunts and kills paranormal beings like Owen. At least she did. When she rescues Owen from an attack by a werebear she is thrust back into the world she thought she’d left. Determined to find out what Owen knows about the bear, she begins a relationship meant to collect information. What she gets is something quite different-love with a man she suspects of murder. Can she reconcile his deception and murderous revenge spree and find a way to redeem him? Or will she condemn him for the same things she has done and walk away from love? Excerpt: A head of lettuce and a grapefruit escaped from the paper grocery sack as Katrina leaned sideways on tippy toes to get the topmost lock. The vegetables rolled across the small concrete patio at the bottom of the stairway well and stopped against a leg of the wrought iron café table. Whispering an expletive, she pushed the door open and placed her purse and grocery sack on the entryway table just inside the door. Then she swiveled to get the runaway vegetables. A very pleasant and interesting sight greeted her. A pair of dark trousers caressed a toned posterior of the man bending over to retrieve her vegetables. She fought to rein in the path her mind started down. Been too long, Katrina, she said to herself as the vision straightened and turned around. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “I thought you had gone inside.” The way he held the vegetables out in front of him made her wonder what his hands would feel like if he held her breasts in that manner. “Hello? Are you awake?” “Ah, ah,” Katrina sputtered as she focused on his face to get her mind out of the gutter. “Okay. Awake, but not here yet.” The corner of his lips started to rise. “You,” she breathed when she recognized him. “Where’s my grandmother’s afghan and my Cleveland Brown’s hoodie?” “Nice to see you, too, and thank you, I’m feeling fine.” She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “If you hadn’t run off I’d have known you were okay.” The smile inched up the side of his cheek, lighting his electric blue eyes. “You worried about me. How sweet.” “Sweet, my patootie. I just . . . You could have bled . . . Oh, crap. Where’s my stuff?” He took another step closer to her. The deep blue ring around his amazing eyes seemed to darken. She leaned back from him. Without taking his eyes off her, he nodded to a brightly colored gift bag on the ground beside the door. “I got blood on the afghan so I had it cleaned. It wasn’t badly stained. The blood came out. The hoodie’s a different story. I couldn’t salvage it, so I bought a replacement.” Balancing the vegetables in one hand he lifted the gift bag to her. “Forgiven? Please?” * * * Amazon buy links: The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1): eBook: http://amzn.com/B00DUMODKI paperback: http://amzn.com/1619353504 Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2): eBook: http://amzn.com/B00OVNFC8W paperback: http://amzn.com/1619358271 Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3): eBook: http://amzn.com/B00XK3E172 Bio: Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after. Together they have co-authored a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. Their most recent collaborative writing efforts have been focused on romance. The first two books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles are available on Amazon. The third book in the series Son of the Moonless Night will be released May 27th by Soul Mate Publishing. Where you can find CD: Website: http://cdhersh.wordpress.com/ Blog: http://cdhersh.wordpress.com/blog-2/ Soul Mate Publishing: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cdhershauthor Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/C.-D.-Hersh/e/B00DV5L7ZI Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCDHersh Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CDHersh 5/21/2015 7 Comments Guest Author, Sherrie HansenWith me on the blog today is Sherrie Hansen, author of the Wildflowers of Scotland series. She is sharing her latest book, a romantic suspence, Shy Violet. Buy Link – Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00XLUEE9E Blurb: When a poor choice and some wild fluctuations in the space time continuum leave school teacher Violet Johansen stranded in the car park of Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland, Violet wonders if she’ll ever find her way back to her comfort zone. She has two choices – to trust a piper who looks exactly like someone she dated a decade ago, or a band of nefarious pirates. Pirates. Pipers. People and mistakes from the past that threaten to haunt you forever... A castle that’s been ravaged and rebuilt... Will Violet and Nathan’s fragile new friendship survive the storm and see love reborn? Shy Violet Excerpt: “I’ve a passenger who needs transporting,” the red- headed girl said to the pirate at the stern of the sailboat. “She needs to go far, far away and stay there until everyone is gone.” The girl didn’t appear nervous, but Violet was. The man didn’t look like a tour guide. He looked like a real pirate. His hair hung in long, matted dreadlocks around skin stained dark from too much sweat and sun. “Will ye do it? We have precious little time.” “For the price of the rest of the day’s tours.” The pirate used his fingers to scratch his skin under the greasy headscarf tied around his forehead. “Lost revenues, I cannae afford. Much as I’d like to help the lass.” “I have no money.” Violet blinked away tears for the first time. She’d been so close. The man must have sensed her desperation. “Climb on board. We’ll take ye for a spin in the loch and find a way to work things oot.” A stream of tourists spewed out of the mouth of Eileen Donan castle and began to cross the moat. She took the hand that was offered, leapt aboard, then ducked and crawled to the deepest part of the boat. Her legs were crossed under her, her head bowed. “Ahoy, mateys.” There was a clatter as the anchor was raised and ropes cinched and drawn, then a creaking noise as the boat left the dock. The waves hit with a jolt, swell after swell, a roller coaster ride of fear and regret and wonderment and terror. “What’s yer name, fair lassie?” She dared not look up for fear Alexander would see her. She let out a deep breath. He was more likely checking the bathrooms, consulting the authorities, or asking around to see if anyone had seen her. Would the red-haired girl be able to resist his charms? He was a knight with a thick pocketbook. He had ways of getting what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to use them, especially on young women who giggled at his good looks and swooned when he wooed them. She’d been such a fool. “Violet. My name is Violet. Violet Johansen.” A wave splashed over the gunnels and doused her. She clutched her glasses to make sure they hadn’t been knocked loose, and tried not to cower – it was just water. Water couldn’t hurt her. But it was bad enough, being scared silly and at the mercy of a bunch of marauding pirates who were complete strangers. She did not want to be cold and soaked besides. The pirates swayed with the rhythm of the waves that were rolling the boat from side to side and talked among themselves, a half indistinguishable mishmash of conversation and sailing lingo in Irish brogues and the lyrical cadence of Scots. The sea calmed, and she resisted the urge to sneak a peek at the water, the heather-covered hills and the blue-hued mountains she’d glimpsed from the castle. “So, you’re not really pirates, right?” She didn’t dare lift her head for fear Alexander was eyeing them from the dock or using the binoculars he always traveled with to scope her whereabouts. “Depends on how ye define pirate.” She still couldn’t see their faces, but the voice that spoke was deep and husky. A second voice spoke, softer and gentler. “So if I be a pirate, does that mean ye be the cooking wench from me fantasies, come to feed us delectable morsels and pleasure us on our long voyage, far from land?” “Um. No. Sorry to disappoint you.” The other pirates laughed, a few in silly, nervous-sounding dulcets, the rest in deep, frighteningly raunchy hoots. “There be a group of prospective passengers waiting in line at the dock,” another voice said. That made three. She’d barely looked at the motley group when she’d jumped on the boat, but thought she remembered five or six total crew members. “What’s this gent look like – the one ye’re hiding from? If he has a defining characteristic I could pinpoint with my eyepiece, perhaps we can determine if it be safe to swing back and pick up some paying passengers.” Okay. She got the point. She’d always hated being a nuisance. She swallowed her pride. What choice did she have? “He’s wearing a black sports jacket with an ascot around his neck. Red, I think. He was wearing sunglasses and carrying a satchel over his shoulder for his camera, Kindle, and binoculars.” “Ye were dating a man who carries a purse?” She pushed her glasses higher onto her nose. “It’s not a purse. More like a backpack only smaller – and designed for men.” Why was she defending him? The man was a blimey bastard. Let them think what they would. “I’m afraid I’ve lost all respect for ye noo. Ye know what they say aboot women who love men with purses,” said the pirate with the deep, husky voice. “Got him in my sights,” the gentler-voiced pirate said. “We nae can turn back noo. He’s got his binoculars trained right on us.” Her fear meter soared off the chart and she jerked involuntarily. She felt like her lungs were being crushed. “Stay down, lass. He can see twice what I can at this distance. Take a look, Hoodie.” “Do ye think if we returned her, all nice like, he’d give us his binoculars as a reward?” a gruff voice asked. Great. Untrustworthy pirates. Just her luck. She mustered her courage and tried to sound intimidating. “Knowing Alexander, he’d have you charged with kidnapping and hauled before Scotland Yard.” “It weren’t us who kidnapped ye. It were ye who commandeered our ship and made us do yer bidding.” This one had a thick brogue. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag anyone else into this mess. As for the money you’re missing out on, I’ll make it up to you somehow.” “Oh, we’ll find a way to extract it from ye awright – sooner or later.” A new voice. Was it the chill in the wind, or did this one sound more menacing than the others? * * * Bio: Twenty-three years ago, Sherrie rescued a dilapidated Victorian house in northern Iowa from the bulldozer's grips and turned it into a bed and breakfast and tea house, the Blue Belle Inn. Sherrie has also lived in Colorado Springs, CO, Augsburg, Germany, Wheaton, IL, and Bar Harbor, Maine. She grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota. After 12 years of writing romance novels, Sherrie met and married her real-life hero, Mark Decker, a pastor. They now live in 2 different houses, 85 miles apart, and Sherrie writes on the run whenever she has a spare minute. Sherrie enjoys playing the piano, photography, traveling, and going on weekly adventures with her nieces and nephew. “Shy Violet” is Sherrie’s eighth book to be published by Second Wind Publishing, a mid-sized, independent press out of Kernersville, NC. Links: http://www.facebook.com/SherrieHansenAuthor http://sherriehansen.wordpress.com/ www.BlueBelleInn.com or www.BlueBelleBooks.com https://twitter.com/SherrieHansen http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2870454.Sherrie_Hansen https://www.pinterest.com/sherriebluebell/ Books Titles: Wildflowers of Scotland novels - Thistle Down (a prequel novella), Wild Rose, Blue Belle, Shy Violet. Night and Day, Love Notes, and the Maple Valley Trilogy – Stormy Weather, Water Lily, and Merry Go Round. 5/12/2015 14 Comments Guest Author- Red L. JamesonDo you love time-travel? Today my guest author is Red L. Jameson. Her book, Enemy of Mine, the first book in her Glimpse Time Travel series, is on sale for 99 cents! Amazon: http://amzn.to/117wPQx Barnes & Nobel: http://bit.ly/1vhG9O8 iBookstore: http://bit.ly/Zl05Sb Blurb: Kidnapping mortals to different eras is such fun. Trickster muse sisters, Clio and Erato, call it a glimpse, but military historian Minerva Ferguson, Erva, is fairly certain she’s gone nuts when she wakes two hundred miles from her apartment. And two hundred years in the past to Brooklyn, 1776. In an unfamiliar manse, during the American Revolutionary War, she’s not too sure how to regain her sanity. Especially when she realizes whose mansion she’s just woken in, the one British general she studied more than anything else, Lord William Hill. When Will hears Erva’s screams of panic, he breaks down a door to save her, even if he can’t quite remember why she’s visiting. She calms, though, the instant she sees him, as if they’ve known each other for eons. From the second he sees her dressed in a toga made from a bed sheet to later when she’s with his troops, wooing them with her musket skills, he realizes he’s smitten. But he’s a weary soldier, shrouded in grief, while she reminds him of a sun goddess. Is she too good for him? Lord, how he wants her to want him. How could Erva not fall for a guy who accidentally quotes a Cheap Trick song? But now she has to get to the bottom of if Will is really a rake, how to stop one of the most important battles of the war, and lastly how to stop her insane crush on the general. After all, he’s going to die in less than a week. The muses have to work fast for this glimpse. But that’s when they work best. And as explosions erupt through New York, sometimes it’s not from the artillery. * * * Excerpt: “Why are you—” She stopped herself again. This time she bit her lush bottom lip and looked away. “Why am I what?” He should have let her question falter, but he had to know for himself if she were a spy or not. The more questions she asked, the more she would reveal herself. The anomalous thought flittered through his mind though that he wasn’t too sure if he cared if she were a spy. She glanced back up at him, her eyes wide and timid. “Why are you here?” That, he hadn’t expected. A spy would wonder about his men, his drills, his arms, anything else that mattered to the war. Not a philosophical question about why he was here. But even the reason why he was here could be used against him, if court martialed. He hadn’t realized that thus far. Then again, he’d thought he wouldn’t have survived this long in the war. In his mind, he would have no reason to be court martialed. He wouldn’t be alive for it. She licked her lips and slightly shook her head. “I mean, you didn’t vote for any of the acts the Americans protested. The newspapers said that you didn’t support any kind of action against the Americans. You don’t support this war, yet here you are. Why?” “Why not?” He tried to deflect the conversation. She narrowed her eyes, no longer looking sheepish but challenging, ruthless, and so lovely. He liked her best like this, shooting faster than most of his men, speaking of sedition to his superiors, the Howe brothers. Lord, how he liked it when her eyes caught fire and turned back into dark red-brown honey. His veins pumped his too hot blood through his body. “Why not, hmm?” She gave him a wicked smile. “Why not, indeed. I think you don’t want to be here.” “On the contrary, there is no other place I’d rather be.” She blinked, then caught his meaning that standing so close to her was exactly where he’d love to be. Arching a blonde brow, she said, “You know what I mean, obtuse man.” He silently chuckled at his new name. “I think you don’t want to be in this war.” He felt his own mirth leave his face. “You might be right.” “Then why are you here? Why do you fight? Especially so efficiently?” “Do I?” She growled, making Will grin again. “Quit evading the questions with your own.” “Why? This is fun.” She smacked one of his shoulders, then he caught her small hand in his. “Is this fun for you too?” he asked, carefully gauging her reaction as he twined his fingers through hers. She didn’t look at their hands. Instead, her gaze was focused on his chest. He especially enjoyed that, as if she found him desirable. Lord, he hoped so, that he wasn’t making a fool of himself. She never answered, but looked up at him, her long lashes batting. He took hold of her candle and set it on a nearby table. In so doing he’d gotten that much closer to her, and just as he was thinking of holding her other hand, she reached up, probably on her toes, and kissed him. This time he reacted immediately. His lips melded with hers. She tasted strongly of mint, and he licked the seam of her lips to enjoy. She opened for him, and he dove his tongue into her mouth. God, she was sweet. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he pulled her closer by holding onto her not-corseted waist. Next her tongue was inside his mouth, and he couldn’t help but pull her even closer, her stomach against his, her breasts crushed against his chest. Will felt Erva fiddle with the ribbon at the nape of his neck, and his hair was released from its hold. Instantly, her hands raked through his mane. It gave him silent permission to finally take hold of her tresses with one of his hands. Pure silk ran through his fingers. He loved her long hair, so wild and free this moment. Like the color of corn silk, Erva’s locks were close to white with a light dandelion sheen. He fisted what he held, which tilted her head back, all the better to deepen the kiss. She moaned into his mouth. All his blood rushed south. That little noise was his undoing. * * * As a military historian by day, sometimes Red does feel a bit clandestine when she writes romance at night. No one knows that while she researches heroes of the past and present, she uses everything for her characters in her books. Her secret's been safe . . . until now. She lives in Montana with her family and far too many animals but never enough books. She loves her readers, so please feel free to contact her at http://www.redljameson.com Blog: http://immortalhistory.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005536457451 Amazon Author Page: http://goo.gl/Gvd2vq Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/redljameson/ * * * 5/9/2015 11 Comments Guest Author- Mary GillgannonVisit with Mary Gillgannon today and find out what she loves about writing, her favorite places to travel and her new book, Wicked Wager. She is also participating in two giveaways: One is for a shamrock solar lantern to be given away at the end of the month: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/91181bf930/? The other is for a $500 gift certificate, to be given away on June 21st: :https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/91181bf929/? There are three options to enter. Good luck!! * * * Mary G: When I began writing romances, they were set in the dark age and medieval eras. I loved the intensity, the “life and death” stakes playing out in these time periods. Later on, after reading several Regency romances, I realized that the stakes for people in this era, even though there was less violence, were pretty intense as well. The lives of women of the Regency era (and, alas, most eras of history), were defined by who they married. It was the only thing that mattered, the only way to improve your circumstances. Because of this, love wasn’t really a focus. Young men and women met each other during the “season” in the London “marriage mart”. It was all a complex game of prestige and wealth and beauty. But that’s no fun for us romantic sorts. So, starting with Jane Austen, we’ve added the wild card of romance to the equation. Which is the perfect introduction to Wicked Wager, a book that focuses on both gambling and romance. Excerpt: He might have known she’d take hours, Marcus thought with irritation as he waited in the drawing room. Offer to take a woman somewhere, and she fussed and fiddled half the day. He’d thought Penny was more practical than that, but it appeared she was as tardy as other members of her sex. A pity if she’d already been corrupted by Madame Dubonet and lost that ingenuous charm of hers. He rather liked the grubby hoyden he’d met in the drive of Horngate. She’d been a delightful change from the coy, manipulative women of the ton. He paced across to the window to check on the phaeton and team. Hearing a faint sound, he turned. For a moment, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His gaze moved down Penny’s slender form, then returned to the expanse of lush creamy flesh exposed by the low neckline of her dress. He swallowed hard, then choked out, “What the devil are you wearing?” She gave him an innocent smile. “It’s my new daydress. Do you like it?” Gone was the sweetly pretty young miss he’d brought to London. She’d been transformed into a sensual, sophisticated, breathtaking… goddess. It wasn’t merely the sumptuous décolletage the gown revealed, but the color of the fabric. Some subtle shade of pink that made her look edible. He longed to kiss and lick and nibble every inch of the silken, creamy skin the garment exposed. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on Penny’s face. “The dress is very fashionable, I’m certain. But if you don’t want to catch a chill, you’d best put on your pelisse.” Penny hurried to do as he suggested. Despite having carefully planned this moment, when it actually came time to appear before Revington in the skimpy gown, she’d experienced an attack of nerves. It had taken all her willpower to walk boldly into the drawing room, despite feeling half-naked. Revington’s expression had turned quite strange, almost savage. But then a moment later, his normal reserve had prevailed and he’d carried on in his usual impatient style. She put on her pelisse and started for the door. Then she remembered the other part of her plan. Turning, she said, “I wondered if rather than driving today, you could have footman take the reins and sit in the carriage with me. That way you’ll be able to tell me about the sights as we travel through the city.” Seeing a muscle twitch in his jaw, she wondered whether he disliked the thought of spending time with her. Too bad, she thought stubbornly. For her plan to work, she needed to force him into close proximity. * * * Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/ B00VU8L64K Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-wager-mary-gillgannon/1121799505?ean=2940151266314 The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6209 Mary Gillgannon writes historical and paranormal romance and fantasy. She’s worked in a public library for over twenty-five years and as part of her job, has the enviable task of ordering fiction. She’s married and has two children. Now that they’re grown, she indulges her nurturing tendencies on four very spoiled cats and a moderately spoiled dog. When not working or writing, she enjoys gardening—a real challenge in Wyoming—reading and travel. She loves history, which may explain why her favorite places to visit are Ireland and Wales. Links: Website: http://marygillgannon.com Blog: http://marygillgannon.blogspot.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mary.gillgannon Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryGillgannon |
Archives
June 2021
CategoriesAll 4th Of July 99 Cents Abbotsford Adam Adam-a-highlander-romance Aidi Breed American-civil-war Anastasia Abboud Andrea-r-cooper Angela-scavone Anne-b-cole Anthology April-holthaus Ashley York Australia Author Interview Bambi Lynn Barbara Bettis Barnes & Noble Berengaria-brown Best-seller Betrayal Black Watch Museum Blair-castle Blog Hop Book Deal Book Dogs Book Giveaway Book Release Day Book Release Party Book Sale Book Series Books To Read After Outlander Booksweeps Border-collies Boxed-set Braemar-highland-games Brenda-stinnett Burke-and-hare Capercallie Carly-jordynn Carmen-stefanescu Carol-ann-moleti Carole-ann-moleti Caroline-warfield Castle-menzies Catherine-castle Cathy & DD MacRae Cathy Dd Macrae Cathy-macrae Cd-hersh Ceci-giltenan Celebrations Celeste Barclay Celtic Cerian-herbert Character-interview Char-chaffin Chocolate Christmas Christmas-box-set Claire-gem Clava-cairns Collette-cameron Colley Collie Compuiter-woes Contemporary-mystery Contemporary-paranormal Contemporary-romance Contest Cover-reveal Creme-de-la-cover-contest Ct-green Culloden-battlefield Cynthia-owens Daryl Devore Dawn-ireland Dawn-marie-hamilton Dd-macrae Debut Debut-author Dewars-distillery Direct-deposit Edinburgh Eilean-donan-castle Elisabeth-hobbes Elizabeth-preston Elizabeth-rose Eliza Knight Elle-hill Evil-villain Excerpts Fantasy-historical Farleyer-lodge First First-kiss Flowers Food Forth-bridges France Free-book Free-books Freki Georgian-romance German-shepherd Get-lost-in-a-story-blog-interview Ghost-tour Gilda Gildas-story Giveaway Glen-ord-whisky Graveyards Guest-author Guest-blogger Halloween Hardy-heroines Highland-chocolatier Highlander-romance Highland-escape Highland-romance Historical-irish Historical-post Historical Romance Hm-queen-elizabeth-ii Holiday Holiday-read Hot-historicals Hurricane-harvey Iain-burnett Indtale Jenna Jaxon Jenni-fletcher Jessica-jefferson Jill-hughey Judith Sterling Karen-lopp Kate-hill Katherine-bone Kathryn-le-veque Kelley Heckart Kindle-world Kobo Lane Mcfarland Larynn-ford Laura-strickland Laurel Odonnell Lauren-linwood Leault-farm Legends-of-scotland Life-with-freki Limited-time-offer Linda-bennett-pennell Lochleven-castle Loch-ness Luxury-cruises Macleod Madeline-martin Madelyn-hill Maggie-mundy Mairi-norris Marilyn-baxter Mary-gillgannon Mary Morgan Meda-white Medieval-blog-hop Medieval-hop Medieval-monday-2015 Medieval-monday-2016 Medieval-monday-2017 Medievalmonday2018 Medieval-monday-2018 Medieval Monday 2019 Medieval Monday 2020 Medieval Monday 2021 Medieval Monday Fall 2020 Medieval Mondays Medieval Monday Spring 2020 Medieval-mystery Medieval Romance Meet-the-characters Meggan-connor Meggan-connors Mhairis-yuletide-wish Military-romance Miriam-newman Neva-brown New Book Nicole-locke Night-owl-reviews Norman-conquest Nostalgia-romance Novella Paranormal Paranormal Romance Patricia-hudson Patrick Paty-jager Pirate-romance Pirates Post-civil-war Postcivil-war-western-romance Preorder Pre-order Prizes Puppy Rachel-sharpe R-b-austin Rb-austin Recipe Recipes Red-l-jameson Regency-romance Release-date Research Review Rl-syme Romance Romance-novels Romance-on-the-high-seas Romantic-mystery Romantic-suspense Rone-award Rue-allyn Ruth A Casie Ruth-a-casie Ruth-kaufman Sale Samantha-wyatt Samhain Sandra-harris Sandra-jones Sarah-hegger Sarah-hoss Sarah-woodbury Saranna-dewylde Scavenger-hunt Sci-fi-romance Scifi-romance Sc-mitchell Scotland Scotland-with-grace-2016 Scottish-crannog-centre Scottish-historical Scottish-regency Scottish Romance Sheep Sherrie-hansen Sherry Ewing Sherry-ewing Short-dog-press Sir-walter-scott Sophia Nye Soul-mate-publishing Southern-romance Special-price Spermbanks Spring Steamships Stella-marie-alden St-patricks-day Sweet-romance Tam Tea-party-and-books Teaser-tuesday Thankful The-ghosts-of-culloden-moor-series The-hardy-heroines-series The-hghlanders-accidental-bride The-highlanders-accidental-bride The-highlanders-bride-series The Highlander's Crusader Bride The-highlanders-french-bride The-highlanders-norse-bride The-highlanders-outlaw-bride The Highlander's Pirate Bride The-highlanders-reluctant-bride The-highlanders-tempestuous-bride The-highlanders-viking-bride The-highlanders-welsh-bride The Prince's Highland Bride The-reading-cafe The-saint The-seventh-son The-twalve-days-o-yuletide Thursdays-teaser Thursdays-threads Time-travel Time Travel Romance Tina-susedik Top-ten-list Travel Twelve-days-of-christmas Uisge-beatha Urban-fantasy Urquart-castle Valentine Valentines Day Victorian-romance Victoria-zak Vijaya-schartz Viking-romance Vikings Villains Viola-russell Wales Wareeze-woodson Water-kelpie Weeping-window-of-poppies Western-romance Whisky Winner Winners Womens-fiction World-of-de-wolfe Ya-fantasy |