Thursday, October 15, 2015

Conquest of the Heart by Michele Stegman



Looking for something new to read this weekend? Check out this historical romance by author Michele Stegman...




(Don't you think the cover looks a little but like Russel Crowe? :-) )


Her people conquered his country.
In 1067 England, Madeline, a Norman, wants a big, brash, never-defeated-in-battle, Norman knight. What she gets, by order of the king, is a wiry Saxon who once studied for the priesthood instead of warfare. But is this gentle man she is falling in love with entangled in the rebellion now sweeping the land?

Now she must conquer his heart.
Ranulf wants to marry the girl next door. What he gets, by order of the king, is a lush, strong Norman woman who just might be a spy reporting his every move. He wants her in every way a man can possibly want a woman. But can he trust his heart to a woman who might have been sent to root out the struggle for freedom his people are engaged in? How can they overcome the distrust they feel to find love?



Sounds good, doesn't it? Here's another little teaser...


He let his gaze travel back to his bride walking stiffly, reluctantly, toward him. For once, Ranulf felt speech was beyond him. She was so much more than he had expected. So beautiful. So clean. She  glittered like a bright jewel in a dung heap. For Etherby, no matter how much he loved it, was not much better than one right now.

If only he could say to this magnificent woman, "Go away. Come back in a year. Give me time to build the castle the king has ordered, tear down this rotting hall, teach cleanliness to servants to whom filth is a way of life. Then you won't have to grit your teeth and square our shoulders as if going into battle as you come to wed me." But it was already too late. She was here. The wedding was now. And he felt as randy as a billy goat.

He would begin building the king's castle immediately. The work would distract him from Lady Madeline's seductive lure. She would find no treason with which to fill the king's ears, and, like his mother's attitude toward his father, he was sure the lady would be glad not to have him in her bower, not the way he felt now, the things he wanted to do to her.

Get you paper back copy here:


or here:

Mythical Press

If ebook is more your thing, click on one of these:


Amazon

About Michele:
 
Michele Stegman has always loved history and she lives it every day. She spins, weaves, makes her own soap and bread, and lives in a 175 year old log cabin with her husband, Ron, who is the basis for all her heroes.


You can contact Michele on her website, www.MicheleStegman.com, or on her Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/MicheleStegmanAuthor.


Thursday, October 8, 2015

The Scandalous Proposal of Lord Bennett by Raven McAllan--- New Release


On the blog today we have the amazing, incredibly talented and very accomplished author Raven McAllan talking about her love of the Regency period and her new book The Scandalous Proposal of Lord Bennett





 

Thank you for inviting me over to chat about The Scandalous Proposal of Lord Bennett
 
Regency times have always interested me.  I know beneath the so-called glamor of the ton, life was hard and the ton made up only a very small proportion of the population, but even there, intrigue and hardship occurred. It night not have always been obvious, but not every one conformed and not everyone sailed through life unscathed by trouble or tragedy.
I wanted to write a book, where although my characters were bound by convention, they managed to turn convention on its head to suit themselves. It was how they did so that interested me. Plus of course how they achieved their happy ever after.
And believe me at times I wondered if they ever would.
I’m very character driven when I write and Lady Clarissa Macpherson and Lord Theodore Bennett (known as Ben) sent me crazy. They are both so strong willed. But at least it made for an interesting storyline (well I hope it did)
And boy, I loved the research…

A Quick Peak:

To have and to hold?
Reluctant debutante Lady Clarissa Macpherson has never forgotten the forbidden kiss she shared with notorious rake, Lord Theodore ‘Ben’ Bennett, all those years ago. Even now, he’s the one man who sets Clarissa’s pulse racing and her skin tingling – no matter how hard she tries to ignore it!
Yet, when Ben rescues her from the unwanted advances of a drunken Lord at a society ball, she finds herself in a most scandalous predicament – engaged, to the most eligible bachelor in London!
Wedded? It appears so, but bedded? Clarissa demands more from her marriage than simply surrendering to her new husband’s sexual desires, especially when she realises she’s falling deeper in love with him every single day. Ben must prove that she’s the only woman for him – and surrender his heart!
Yet resisting her new husband’s delicious seduction may prove the hardest thing Clarissa has ever done…

And a wee tease…
 
With a glance and a grimace in the mirror, she left the room and returned to the bedchamber. Thence to stop suddenly. Ben was sprawled across the bed on his back, naked as the day he was born. He’d kicked the covers down to his ankles and not one part of his front was hidden from view.
Oh, what a view.
Clarissa gulped and stared at the thick staff that stood proudly up from his body, and waved hello. Now she was able to study it carefully, and unobserved, she was both fascinated and, in a strange way, repelled. That was supposed to fit into her? Oh, it had felt large when she’d grasped it earlier, but not that size, and in the moonlight she had decided her vision emphasised the size rather than diminished it. Now she realised her mistake. There was no chance that could be accommodated inside a woman. Someone surely had their facts wrong?
‘Do you like what you see?’ Her husband was awake and watching her through hooded eyes. ‘Shall I show you more?’
Her hands went to her warm cheeks. Now was a time she could have done with a fan, and not for coy or flirtatious purposes either. His eyes, although still cloudy, had a look in them, which her governess would have called devilry, and Clarissa decided was studied wickedness. If she didn’t stand up to him now, she never would.
‘Why?’ She feigned nonchalance, and thought she may well have succeeded. ‘You have shown me nothing so far to make me wish to see more.’
His eyes cleared and dark lights of fire flashed. Then his mouth firmed in a straight line. ‘Really? I must be slacking.’
She shrugged. ‘Perhaps fine wines and brandy have that effect on you, my lord. Make you slack. You sampled enough to discover whether my words are true or not.’ Clarissa ignored his snort of outrage and his muttered oath and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She wanted no more than to reach for the glass of water next to the bed. However, she knew enough about men to know Ben would see it as a sign of weakness, and pounce on it like a cat with a mouse.
To give herself time, and to rid the room of the noxious smell of stale alcohol, Clarissa walked over to the windows, pulled back the curtains, and pushed up the sash, thence to let warm, fresh air and sunshine fill the room. It was lucky this room overlooked a pleasant and tidy garden, filled with scented flowers and not the road, where the aromas would certainly not be fresh and sweet.
Ben groaned. ‘Woman, you are trying to kill me.’
‘Fresh air never killed anyone, my lord. And if you persist in smelling like a cast-off from a tavern, you’ll need the benefits. To put it bluntly, you stink worse than any privy.’ She dusted her hands together and after a brief, very brief glance down his body, stared at his face. Her words seemed to have little effect on his body. Clarissa willed herself not to blush.

buy links
 
http://www.amazon.com/Scandalous-Proposal-Lord-Bennett-ebook/dp/B013L2OHW0/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1439208106&sr=1-2



Bio…
 
Well what can I say?
I'm growing old disgracefully and loving it.
Dh and I live on the edge of a Scottish forest, and rattle around in a house much too big for us.
Our kids have grown up and flown the nest, but roll back up when they want to take a deep breath and smell the daisies so to speak.
I write in my study, which overlooks the garden and the lane. I'm often seen procrastinating, by checking out the wild life, looking—only looking—at the ironing basket and assuring tourists that indeed, I'm not the bed and breakfast. That would mean cooking fried eggs without breaking the yolks, and disturbing the dust bunnies as they procreate under the beds. Not to be thought of.
Being able to do what I love, and knowing people get pleasure from my writing is fantastic. Long may it last.

https://www.facebook.com/rmcallan        (my page)
https://www.facebook.com/ravenmcallan            (author page)





Friday, October 2, 2015

Fall Into Reading Event- Meet Author Stacy Hoff #FallReading #bookboost @books_n_pearls

**** Stacy has been trying to chat with those of you leaving comments but Blogger has been giving her fits.(Oh how we love technology!)  If you wish to get in touch with her she is AuthorStacyHoff on all social media or you can email her at stacy@stacyhoff.com  ****
 
 
 
 
 
Today begins the Fall Into Reading Romantic Suspense weekend. Visiting us today is author, Stacy Hoff with her new book Desire in the Everglades. (Love the cover!)




 

Stephanie Lang’s successful career as a television producer can’t give her everything she wants out of life. Her personal goals of writing a romance novel and finding true love languish. Emotionally scarred by her fiancé’s affair with her cousin, she doesn’t have the confidence to go after either goal again. At least she has professional confidence to fall back on—she is ready to produce the company’s next hit show. But when her boss reveals what the show is about, a survival documentary starring a sexy, modern version of Crocodile Dundee, Stephanie’s life is turned upside down. Colin Brandt, billed as “The Evergladiator,” will tackle Florida’s Everglades with nothing more than his bare hands and a knife. Stephanie, instantly attracted to handsome, rugged, enigmatic Colin, worries he will not survive his twelve-day odyssey. If he does, he’ll win a million dollars. If he fails, his beloved family’s farm will go into foreclosure. Can Colin conquer the Everglades? And can he conquer her heart?
The sequel, DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC, will be released by Soul Mate Publishing, Inc., January, 2016!

 
Want to read more?? How about an excerpt...
 

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES

Stephanie watched Colin pile the twigs in front of them, placing them at the outer edge of the lean-to. If he had any doubts about being able to start a fire in the rain, he didn’t show it. Unfortunately, she had doubts aplenty. Only Vulcan, Roman god of fire, could manage to make some puny twigs burn during a heavy rainstorm like this.

Maybe Colin was a god. And she was the sacrificial lamb. At least she felt like one, left out here by the location crew and boat captains, presumably to die. “Why did the boats take off without us?” she asked. “Don’t they care they abandoned us?”

He answered calmly. “Of course they care. Your co-workers obviously like you. As for the boats, safety is the captain’s biggest concern. That’s why they took off. They didn’t want to risk everybody getting hurt. They had no idea what happened to us, and waiting for us would put everyone in jeopardy.” He rummaged around in his backpack until he suddenly held out a travel-sized jar of Vaseline, smiling in victory. “Voila!”

She felt her face scrunch into a large frown. Dumbstruck, she watched him smear a dollop of the clear sticky grease onto the twigs. “If you don’t mind my asking, Colin, is your biggest concern right now whether the twigs have chapped lips?”

He waved her facetious question away without looking up. Then reached for his lighter and—swoosh—the tinder caught flame, shooting up a foot high.

Holy shit. This guy is Vulcan.

“Vaseline?” he offered, extending the jar out to her.

“Er, no. Thanks.”

“Well then, we’ll save it for later. Great stuff to get a fire burning. Great for treating burns and cuts, too. I think the trees are giving us enough of a canopy for the fire to hold. Let’s hope so,” he said.

“Thanks for the fire. This will help a lot.” She held her hands up to it and felt the dry heat spread gloriously through her. With the sun setting, and the storm’s bursting, the temperature had dropped. “What else can you use to make a fire? I wouldn’t have thought of Vaseline.”

“You’d be surprised. I can rub two sticks together, of course. But I’ll use anything available, from broken glass to tampons.”

“What?”

“Yep. Found out that little tidbit when I had to camp out in Afghanistan’s mountains with a female U.S. Army officer. Long story. Anyway, you have to puff out the tampon a little, but it works surprisingly well.

“O-kaay.”

He laughed. “Hey, you asked. The point is, when you’re in a survival situation, you’ve got to thoroughly consider what might be useful. There are no stores to run to, and having things like shelter, food, and fire, is no joke.”

“Speaking of shelter and food, how long will it be until the boats come back?”

“As soon as the storm lets up, I’m sure. It is the dry season. Little outbursts like this typically don’t last too long.”

“Little outburst?”

“For the Everglades, yes, this is a little outburst.”

She went wide-eyed at that, but said nothing. Her imagination was busy with what a storm must be like during the wet season.

He interrupted her thoughts. “Did you eat enough marshmallows at the campsite or are you hungry?”

“I’m okay for now. If we get hungry, there’s a ton of stuff growing out here. Can’t we eat any of it?”

“The general rule to eating plants is not to do it. Ninety percent of them are toxic. It’s best not to experiment.”

Her eyes grew big. “Then how are you going to last when the show tapes? I mean, assuming this mishap hasn’t soured you to doing the show.”

“I’ll fish and trap animals. Just about all of them are safe when cooked. It might take a while for me to catch something right now because it’s raining real hard. But if you’re hungry, and willing to be patient, I’ll see what I can do for you.”

“No, but thank you for offering. I wouldn’t do that to you. And anyway, I’m fine. Cold. Wet. Scared shitless. But fine. Really.”

Colin laughed. “You sound fine. Other than the ‘shitless’ part, and your teeth chattering. If you’re not going to eat, I can at least suggest again you take your clothes off. Under the circumstances, I wouldn’t stand on formality. Keep your underwear on if it’ll make you feel better.” Colin balanced himself on his knees and started stripping. His tee shirt went first.

The firelight danced off his hardened muscles, showing off both his strength and beauty. It was hard not to gape. She’d given credit to the wrong god. He wasn’t Vulcan. He was Adonis. Too bad for the television audience. She was the one lucky enough to view the whole show. Up close, live and personal. Silently she watched him spread each item of clothing out flat and near the fire. When all that was left was his cotton briefs, he raised a single eyebrow at her.

“Are you daring me?” She laughed.

“You know what we say in the military: ‘No guts, no glory.’”

“Well, you’re certainly trying to enlist me, all right. But as a stripper or a Marine, I can’t tell.”

“Either way, you’d be signing up for action.” He smiled and crossed his arms over his chest, obviously waiting for her next move.
 


Want a copy of your own? Click here!

Amazon Link to Desire in the Everglades


About the Author




Stacy Hoff is a writer, as well as an attorney. She has practiced law for almost two decades, specializing in contracts. Romance novels have always been her secret passion. She writes her romantic stories until the wee hours of the night. Stacy lives in New England with her husband and two boys. Follow Stacy on social media. You can also find her blog post every Friday on https://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com.


 

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:




Other Books by Stacy:
     
 

 


 
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