Tessa Dare- Spindle Cove Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway

Any Duchess Will Do
Tessa Dare
On Sale Date: May 28, 2013
ISBN: 9780062240125
ISBN: 0062240129

Today Pauline is just a serving girl in Spindle Cove but tomorrow... she'll be a Duchess?! It's a Spindle Cove Pygmalion story as only New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Dare can tell it.

What's a duke to do, when the girl who's perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can't live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season-or any season-but his diabolical mother abducts him to "Spinster Cove" and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn't dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week's employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother's "duchess training"… and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn't a miserable failure. She's a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure-a woman who ignites Griff's desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won't be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess-can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

“I thought you didn’t have noble impulses.”

“Believe me.” He stared into her eyes and spoke the words without lewdness or irony. “I don’t.”

If he possessed a single grain of decency, he would have set her down long moments ago. Wicked as it made him, he loved the way she was clinging to his neck. As though the world around them were a vast, frozen waste and sharing the heat of his body was her only chance to survive. It was so easy to believe, for this moment, that she needed him. Needed his touch, his mouth, his heated breath. His bared, feverish skin all over hers.

Amazing, what acrobatic contortions the lusting male mind could achieve. He’d almost convinced himself that kissing her lush, sweet lips was the noble thing to do.

Almost. But not quite.

“I’ll put you down now,” he said.

She nodded.

And then she pressed her lips to his.

Praise and curses be heaped. The girl kissed him.

Beauty and the Blacksmith
Tessa Dare
On Sale Date: April 30, 2013
ISBN: 9780062238849,
ISBN: 0062238841

Take a trip to Spindle Cove in New York Times bestselling author Tessa Dare’s gorgeous and sexy Regency romance.

Beautiful and elegant, Miss Diana Highwood is destined to marry a wealthy, well-placed nobleman. At least that’s what her mother has loudly declared to everyone in Spindle Cove.

But Diana’s not excited by dukes and lords. The only man who makes her heart pound is the village blacksmith, Aaron Dawes. By birth and fortune, they couldn’t be more wrong for each other ... but during stolen, steamy moments in the smithy, his strong hands feel so right.

Is their love forged strong enough to last, or are they just playing with fire?
How could she help staring? The man had wrists as thick as her ankle.

As always, he wore his sleeves rolled to the elbow, exposing forearms roped with muscle. He pumped the bellows, commanding the flames to dance.

Broad shoulders stretched his homespun shirt, and a leather apron hung low on his hips. As he removed the glowing bit of metal from the fire and placed it on his anvil, his open collar gaped.

Diana averted her gaze—but not fast enough. She caught a moment’s glimpse of pure, superheated virility. Sculpted chest muscles, bronzed skin, dark hair...

“Behave yourself,” he said.

The words startled her breathless.

He knows. He knows. He’s realized that refined, perfect gently bred Miss Highwood comes to the smithy to gawp at his brute manliness. Behave yourself, indeed.

She felt ridiculous. Ashamed. Exposed.

And then—suddenly—relieved.

He wasn’t speaking to her. He was speaking to his work.

“That’s it.” Perspiration glistened on his brow. With a steady hand and a low, rich baritone, he finessed the broken clasp. “Be good for me now.”

Diana turned her gaze downward, focusing on the floor. Neatly swept and fitted stones paved her half of the smithy, where visitors waited for their work. The ground around the forge was packed with black, smudgy cinders. And the border between the two could not have been more stark, or more meaningful.

Here was the division between customer and smith. The line between the world of a gentlewoman and a working man’s domain.

“There we are,” he said. “That’s the way.”

Oh, goodness. She could look away from this thick forearms and his muscled chest. But that voice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Exclusive Interview & Giveaway ~ Author Amanda McIntyre "Rugged Hearts"

Bestselling author Amanda McIntrye has a Sizzling New Series- The Kinnison Legacy! 

Today she stops by FBL for a little Q & A's and if you scroll down you can enter to win a copy of her latest book:     RUGGED HEARTS—Book I:

 

Rugged, quiet, hardworking, Wyatt takes his position as head of the Kinnison family seriously. But the scars of betrayal by the women to whom he once trusted his heart now prompt his stark, simple game plan, and no one in hell is going to convince him any differently. What matters most, besides the welfare of his brothers, is to manage the ranch left to him and never risk his heart again to something as foolish as love—but after meeting Aimee, Wyatt begins to realize that a man should never say never to a determined second grade teacher.

When vivacious, resilient Aimee Worth loses her twin sister in a tragic accident, she makes the choice to live out her sister’s dream of teaching in the small mountain community called End of the Line, Montana, never suspecting she’d meet her Mr. Right in the middle of nowhere—he just doesn’t know it yet. Used to challenges, her spirit shatters the perceptions that have kept him isolated from living life beyond the ranch, proving to him that when it comes to love, the greatest risk is not taking one.

Thanks for stopping by!!

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre?

Thanks Kat, for having me! 

My very first book was a contemporary “rural” romance actually called Unfinished Dreams, featuring a farm foreclosure situation. Growing up in a small town, leaving, getting married and returning to the same small town for the past twenty-some years has also endeared me to the great wealth of stories to be derived from small towns and what I like to call “country boys.” More specific, this series was born of a combination of a short novella I wrote called ‘Stranded with Children” and a holiday article I wrote for the newspaper once called “The Cowboys Christmas.” From there, was launched the fodder for three unlikely brothers, raised by a man who was not their father and how they came to be his legacy and fulfill his dream for the Last Hope Ranch.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

Just knowing the people I’ve grown up around small town life, farmers and cowboys—and men with the heart of a cowboy all of my life. I also researched specific areas of Montana, the old mining towns and how many of them are having to find alternate ways of surviving in this economy. Included as a part of my story are the artisans and beliefs of the American Indian tribes of the area and also I researched cattle ranches and watched a lot of RFD TV. I have never been to a working dude ranch, but it’s on my bucket list of things to do.

What do you think is the greatest creative risk you've taken in this book? 

Great question. Probably not knowing how it would be received in a particular time when it seems that Fifty Shades style books, and YA are the big draw. I am strange that way—I rarely choose to write in whatever the popular genre of the month is.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

There were a number that I really enjoyed, but perhaps the most poignant, where I see a huge evolution in my heroes character and my heroines, is when he is reading a story to the kids who’ve become stranded in a storm at his house. In particular, after the harrowing life and death experience they’d all had earlier in the day. Just seeing how he responds, the realization and growth he goes through in this scene,  mostly internal, but critical to his redemption.

Do you write detailed character profiles before writing, or do you find the characters come to life as you write?

I usually gather a few pictures first and create a collage of sorts. I love hands and eyes on a man, the nuance of an expression. Because most art forms from publishers ask you to give a physical description for use on cover art, I’ve already mapped out a number of details in my mind. However, there are many times when an unexpected obstacle, or twist will come up in the process of writing that may change the character either physically or mentally. To answer, you question, I guess I’d have to say both ways have happened to me, and usually in the same book.

You have a very sexy cowboy for your book covers! Can you tell us how the process works in selecting these gorgeous men for your cover? 

With the Kinnison series I chose the cover art and had it commissioned by P & N graphics, because I wanted a very specific look for these covers. Most generally, authors fill out a detailed “art form” for publishers to work from to create the cover. I’ve been very fortunate in my writing career. The Cover art gods have been very good to me;)

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?  

I have been snowed in, unfortunately not with a hawt cowboy, but with children;) But honestly, in this book there was a lot based on my (hopeful) skills in storytelling;)

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre? There is honestly no sure fire marketing aspect. Its always changing, depending on the event, the number of readers, where your budget is, so many , many variables. There are street teams to help authors get the word out about their books. There are conventions, large and small, where readers can participate in events where they can meet readers and industry personnel. However, what I’ve come to realize is that the BEST marketing tools are the ones that place you in direct contact to the readers. Only then are you going to be able to find out what readers are looking for in reading.

Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published? 

Yes, more than one actually, but one in particular, and one of these days I intend to publish it, because there is a readership for it. It simply doesn’t fit into the marketing templates of many traditional publishers.

Tell us what you next releases or what you are currently working on?

My current release was the special e-book launch of Rugged Hearts, Book I in the Kinnison Legacy series. It was released to be made available at the RT Booklovers E-Expo. FYI, it’s launch was not directly responsible for the brief snowstorm in the KCMO area that week.;) The print book will release in late summer amid the release of other pre-holiday books. I am currently working on a number of stories. The second book in the Kinnsion series (Rustlers Heart) and also a short contemporary novella as well as an historical erotic thriller story that I hope to have out this year. I have just released my very first full length book, Unfinished Dreams, a sensual, contemporary rural romance at Amazon Kindle.

Today Amanda is giving away a signed hardcopy ARC of Rugged Hearts to one lucky person leaving a comment on 

"Why you love cowboys!" 

Continental US only, please.

A staunch believer in potential and possibility, best-selling, multi-genre author Amanda McIntyre has succeeded in an office career, as a mother, a newspaper columnist and now fiction writer.

Since 2001, Amanda has enjoyed writing and receiving awards for numerous novels, novellas, short stories, anthologies ,as well as non-fiction books. Her readers and reviewers describe her work as "highly sensual and character-driven" She is currently working on her next novel.    

Visit Amanda on her Website

Buy links for Rugged Hearts:   Amazon       All Romance e-Books 

Amanda’s next appearances:

Lora Leigh’s Reader Weekend, Sept 19-22

Heather Grahams New Orleans Writers Weekend, Dec. 13-15.

Review and Book Giveaway ~ Summer in Napa (St. Helena Vineyard #2) by Marina Adair

I am excited to share the latest book in the St. Helena Vineyard series by Marina Adair. Summer in Napa is the second in the series.  If you missed my review of the first book in the series, Kissing Under the Mistletoe, you can find it here.  Continue reading... as you scroll down, you will find my review and a chance to win a signed paper.  More  details below...

Summer in Napa (St. Helena Vineyard #2) by Marina Adair

Published May 14th 2013 by Montlake Romance
ISBN:1611099730 (ISBN13: 9781611099737)

review courtesy of author

Six months ago, New York restaurant owner Alexis “Lexi” Moreau walked in on her husband, Jeff, and their sous chef mixing business with pleasure. Now, Lexi is back in her hometown of St. Helena, California, rebuilding her life and hoping to turn her grandmother’s patisserie into the bistro of her dreams. All she needs is luck, lots of hard work, and a way to avoid the thirty blind dates her matchmaking grandmother arranged. Enter Marco DeLuca — Jeff’s handsome, commitment-phobe best friend who has always had his sights set on Lexi. In high school, Marco convinced himself that Lexi was off-limits. And she still is, especially since Marco’s family’s wine business all depends on a deal with Jeff. But a fake summer romance is the perfect way for Lexi to distract the would-be suitors her grandmother has set up for her. A perfect way for Marco to realize she’s the only one that ever mattered. And a perfect way to fall deliciously in love.

My Review:

Two words... LOVED. IT. I went back to the first book, so I can get a feel for Marco.. soo many books, I was started to merge my characters. Its a great story line and sometimes I was thought I knew how it would end but I didn't. Lexi family and friends mean well but the minute she moves back home after leaving behind her restaurant, her recipes and her cheating husband... the matchmaking begins. And it gets old fast.., so to keep her family and friends at bay she partners up with sexy Marco and makes them assume they are a "couple".. A couple with "benefits".  The love story between these two is hot and you want them to reunite at least to have hot steamy sex.  Both were very strong characters and I couldn't put it down. I immediately disliked her husband, what a loser.

In all honesty I will put this on my Read Again pile.  If you are sorting through new release and can't figure out which book to read next, put this one up on the top of the pile.  Enjoy... Summer can't get any hotter than this book.   

My Rating:

                    

For one lucky winner, Marina is offering a signed paperback ARC to one US follower. Contest runs until 12:00 am EST, Wed, May 22nd. 

To be eligible, leave a comment below and tell us what you.....

Love About Summer...

You must add your email address in the comment, so I can contact the winner... 

Long Simmering Spring (Star Harbor #3) by Elisabeth Barrett

Long Simmering Spring (Star Harbor #3)
by Elisabeth Barrett
Expected publication: May 13th 2013

review courtesy of netGalley

Cole Grayson finally returns to Star Harbor, and now that he’s the town’s new sheriff, he’s upholding the law instead of breaking it. He and Julie Kensington, the local physician, have known each other since grade school, and she’s less-than-impressed with the bad boy he used to be. But after stints in the military and on Boston’s police force, the question isn’t whether he’s changed, it’s how much. It isn’t long before Cole realizes that his sweet, sexy doctor will force him to confront his past and help him to face the future.

My Thoughts:

Hot!!! Sizzling!! And it is not even summer yet!

Cole has been dealing with PTSD, the guilty feelings a vet has when he is among a few survivors in his group. The images replay themselves nightly and it isn't until he meets up with "Doc" Julie that they are under control... are at least manageable. Julie and Cole fall fast and hard, they are what each other needs to bring themselves out of the self imposed barriers they have around their hearts. This sexually- charged story is just what the Doctor ordered. I love seeing the previous characters be a presence in this book. Pick up a copy to and you may find yourself fanning yourself quite often when reading this winner. I love the authors writing style, from the first page you know that this is going to be a page turner.

Hats off to Elisabeth Barrett for continuing such a hot simmering storyline of the Grayson boys...

My Rating:

                    

Exclusive Interview & Giveaway ~Not Quite Mine Blog Tour~ Catherine Bybee

I am so excited to welcome back Catherine Bybee to FBL. I am a huge fan of Catherine's work.. I became an avid follower when I read her time travel series, The MacCoinich's. You can find my reviews of this series and Not Quite Dating here (under Catherine Bybee) at FBL.  Today she stops by on her Not Quite Mine Blog Tour.  Remember to scroll all the way down to enter the Giveaway!!

First, here's a little about Catherine:
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned novels Wife by Wednesday, Married by Monday, and Not Quite Dating. Bybee lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Southern California.

Thanks, Catherine, for stopping by Forever Book Lover. Congratulations on your latest release, Not Quite Mine.

1. Can you tell us how this story was developed? Did you first have a story in mind and the character just happened? Or did the character come to you, begging you to tell their story?

Because this is the second book in a series, the characters were already playing in my head from the first book, Not Quite Dating. I loved Katie in the first book and really wanted to give her a HEA. And of course there was Dean to consider. The poor guy really needed to pull his life together and Katie is the only one to help him do that.

2. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

This book is as much of a romance is it is a book about motherhood. So yes, there are those ‘mommy’ moments that stem from real life.

3. What was your favorite part of the book?

Some of my favorite scenes in this book take place between the characters other than the Hero and Heroine. I love the interaction between Dean and Jack… And Monica and Katie. Then some of the more dramatic moments between Katie and her mom. But I can’t really go into it without giving away spoilers.

4. What was the hardest part to write in the book?

I don’t know if there was a ‘hard’ part. Writing any book will have its challenges, but this story really did come along without too many tears.

5. If you could only describe a single scene to encourage someone to read your latest release, which scene would it be?

Sure. Here’s an excerpt:

Dean followed the pattern of awestruck men until he found her.

Bent over a railing on what would be one of the many ground floor suites, Katie’s short, cream-colored skirt rode midthigh. The sight of her slammed his breath from his lungs. Her long legs appeared to ride for miles and the four-inch heels extended them even farther.

Her butt flexed as she straightened and looked up to the ceiling. She reached above her head as if measuring the height of the room.

The memory of her stretching in bed, naked, after they’d made love swam in his mind.

Get a grip, Dean, he chided himself. Drowning in those memories would only lead to heartache. And he’d had his share of that, enough to last a lifetime.

“You need to wear a hat,” he all but yelled in her direction.

Katie jumped and swiveled in his direction. “Damn it, Dean, you scared me.” She brought a hand to her chest as if calming her heart from the shock of him being there.

“If an inspector were here, he’d shut me down if he caught you without a hard hat.”

He took two purposeful strides in her direction and thrust the hat in front of him. He avoided her personal space but couldn’t keep her floral scent from reaching his nose.

She always smelled like spring.

Dean wiggled the hat in his hand.

She sneered at it as if it were a snake. “Who else has worn that thing?”

“I have no idea.”

“I’m not touching it.”

He rolled his eyes and let his arm fall. “You wear a hat, or get off my job site.”

Her mouth dropped. “You can’t fire me.”

“I’m not firing you, I’m telling you the rules. And those shoes have to go, too.”

She stuck out a hip and rested a hand on it. “Will an inspector shut you down for my shoes?”

He wanted to tell her yes, but he’d be lying. “The ground is uneven and there are nails everywhere. Twisting an ankle and contracting tetanus are the most likely by-product of stilettos on the site.”

Katie lifted a leg and examined her own shoe. Her skirt slid farther up her thighs.

Dean groaned.

“I’ve run from half a dozen paparazzi on the cobblestoned streets of Italy in heels like these. I’ll take my chances.”

He thrust the hat in her direction a second time and dismissed the footwear argument. “They’re your feet. The hat isn’t optional.”

After sniffing the air and finding it unsavory, Katie glanced at the top of his head. He read her thought before she managed to voice it.

“Has anyone else worn your hat?”

It had his name on it. No one would consider putting it atop his or her head. “No.”

A slow Southern smile met her lips. Avoiding a forgotten two-by-four, she shortened the space between them and stared at his hat.

This was not a fight he was going to win. He could insist she wear the hat in his hand, but knew he’d end up tossing her over his shoulder and removing her from the site because she wouldn’t wear it. It wasn’t that she was a snob, just particular about what touched her skin.

No matter how the hat ordeal played out, the men on his crew would be talking by the end of the day. Carrying her off the site or letting her wear his hat for the day…those were his options.

He mumbled under his breath and removed his hat before plunking it down on her stubborn head.

6. Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?

Ahh… no. Not when the world of self publishing has opened up to writers everywhere. If a publisher doesn’t want my work, I’ll publish it myself.

7. Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

The third book in the Not Quite series, Not Quite Enough is slated for release in October of this year. And the third book in my Weekday Bride series will be released in August.

Not Quite Enough will feature Monica and Trent. My readers will know Monica very well by the time they finish Not Quite Mine, but they have yet to meet Trent… who I’m sure they will fall in love with. 

NOT QUITE MINE, BOOK TWO
Montlake Romance, Contemporary May 07, 2013, First Edition Paperback & Kindle
ISBN: 978-1611099515

Gorgeous hotel heiress Katelyn “Katie” Morrison seems to have it all. But when she crosses paths with Dean Prescott—the only man she’s ever loved—at her brother’s wedding, Katie realizes there’s a gaping hole in her life. After the ceremony she gets an even bigger surprise: a baby girl left on her doorstep. Determined to keep the newborn until she learns who her mother is, Katie has her hands full and doesn’t need Dean snooping around...especially when his presence stirs feelings she thought were long gone..

Dean Prescott knows Katie is lying to him about the baby. He shouldn’t care what the woman who broke his heart is up to...and he most certainly shouldn’t still be aching for her. Yet Dean can’t ignore the need to protect Katie—or the desire to be near her every chance he gets. But when he and Katie solve the mystery surrounding the baby, their second chance for happiness could be shattered forever..

I enjoy second chance story lines and this one has so many twists and secrets it made it extra special. I normally am not a big fan of plot with secrets, this one had them throughout the book, but this one worked with all the secrets..  I enjoyed the tale of this abandoned baby outside on the door step -Survival- Katie needing the baby as much as the baby needed Katie- to survive, to thrive, to live. Sit back and enjoy this heartwarming tale. Little bits of drama and mystery throughout the story, but in the end a beautiful written love story and HEA

Another winner in my book by Catherine..

a Rafflecopter giveaway