Monthly Archives: February 2019

by | February 26, 2019 · 5:00 am

TO GAMBLE ON AN EARL – Release Blitz

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Series: Men of Waterloo Book 2
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Nazzaro and Price
Publication Date: January 18, 2019
Can Phoebe and Foxington overcome the odds against them to gamble one more time for love?
Evan, The Earl Of Foxington, had only one mistress, Lady Luck. When she deserted him at the Battle Of Hougomont, he was left scarred in more ways than one. Lady Phoebe Collins has loved Foxington since she and her best friend, his sister, dogged his footsteps as children. When she received a request from him for a tryst at a ball, what seemed to be the answer to her dreams turned out to be a nightmare. Will Foxington be able to overcome the thrill of gambling to earn Phoebe�s trust? Will Phoebe ever learn to feel safe enough to live again?

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Excerpt

Lady Phoebe Collins backed into the alcove, stopping when she bumped against the floral wallpaper. She was safely hidden in the shadows, away from the ballroom and its dancing couples. She took the note from her reticule and her heart skipped a beat as she read the words written in a strong hand, �Meet me in the sitting room, two doors beyond the stairs, at half past eleven. �Fox.�
Putting the note back into her reticule, she smiled at the familiar form of address in the signature and moved down the hall to the specified room. Why did Foxington want to meet her? Was he having regrets about what had happened when they�d been snowed in on Christmas Eve? Or was he planning to continue what they�d started on that magical night? His nickname, �The Fox� implied an intimate relationship, and her pulse fluttered again at the thought. She walked down the hall, her mind going over every detail of the night they were trapped together by a snowstorm one year earlier.
Foxington approached offering to escort her home after a dinner party where Ravenstone had surprised everyone by asking Lady Lettice Durham, Foxington�s sister to marry him. The trip home had gone terribly wrong, an unexpected storm piling so much snow on the road that they�d had to unhitch the horses and finish the journey to Elkhorn Hall on horseback.
Foxington had taken her up behind him, and the intimacy of the situation had encompassed them, lingering after they�d arrived and been cared for by the intrepid housekeeper, Mrs. Brown. Food and dry clothing had been provided for everyone, including Foxington�s aunt, who had also been in the carriage as chaperone.
After Foxington�s aunt departed the room, Phoebe walked around the space, picking up pillows from the sofa and fluffing them, only to put one down before picking up another.
�I would say this evening was a success in regards to Lady Lettice and Lord Ravenstone. You accomplished what you set out to do. Your sister is now betrothed, and to a fine gentleman.� Phoebe looked up at Foxington with a smile.
The earl moved swiftly toward Phoebe, reached for the pillow she was holding to her chest, and threw it back onto the sofa before placing one arm around her waist. He cupped her cheek, bent down, and kissed her.
The urgency in his kiss surprised them both, and for a moment she didn�t react. Then, as if giving in to some inner debate her body relaxed against his, she returned the pressure of his lips, and her legs moved against the confines of her gown to arch slightly against him.
He paused slightly, then kissed her once more, gently. He set her back from him with his arms stiff and his breathing ragged.
�Phoebe?� he asked softly, his deep voice thick. With concern, she�d thought.
She stared at him, realizing he was just as shocked as she at their encounter.
�You�you kissed me,� she whispered.
�I certainly did.� A devilish grin quirked at his lips. �And by all accounts you kissed me back. Care for another one?�

Other Books by Diane Dario

Be sure to also check out Book 1 in the Men of Waterloo series.
An Earl's Christmas Embrace
An Earl’s Christmas Embrace (Book One)
The Earl of Ravenstone, is haunted by memories of the war. When he agrees to help his friend find a husband for his unconventional sister he is spellbound by the paintings he sees when he comes to call.
Do the answers lie in Lettice�s paintings, or in An Earl�s Christmas Embrace?
Buy Link: Amazon.com

About Diane Dario

Diane Dario

I have been reading romance novels since the age of fourteen and never turned back. I have my Mom to thank for my interest in romance novels and my Dad for my love of history.
Regency romances have always been my all-time favorite era to read (grand ballrooms, dinner parties while sitting next to a grand duke or war hero just returned from fighting against Napoleon and the French, hey I girl can dream, can�t she).
When I am not reading (or writing the stories which dance around in my head) I enjoy the joyful moments with my growing family, the ballet, long walks, travel and romantic movies.
Writing has always been a great passion of mine and I am glad to be doing what I like best. Connecting with readers is a bright spot and always a happy moment for me knowing my books touched someone and they took the time to let me know. Each and every reader is the reason I continue to write Regency Historical romances and you are the ones who keep me at it.
Social media links: Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway

WIN FREE TO GAMBLE ON AN EARL EBOOK
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Prizes up for grabs:
Two TO GAMBLE ON AN EARL eBooks
Contest runs from Feb 26 – Mar 3, 2019.
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by | · 5:00 am

What the Parrot Saw – Blitz

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Historical Romance
Publisher: Eve D. Ackerman
Release Date: February 26, 2019
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Hijacking an Englishman from a brothel is all in a day’s work for Captain Mattie St. Armand. She needs protective coloration, and a naïve (and expendable) white man will keep the eyes of the authorities off her as she smuggles slaves from the Florida Territory to freedom in the Bahamas.
Oliver Woodruff wanted a spot of travel in the Caribbean before he settled down, but he never expected “Marauding Mattie.” He’ll help her, but he knows there’s no place in his world for the bastard daughter of a pirate and a freedwoman.
As Mattie trains him for their ruse, she comes to realize he’s a man she can turn to for support and companionship, and Oliver grows to love the commanding and daring woman who refuses to fit society’s mold… but both are sure their relationship is doomed by society’s taboos.
It will take danger and adventure (and Roscoe the parrot) to convince them that the passion between them is more than an island fantasy.
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Excerpt
1839
“I don’t need a useless white boy. Find someone else to take him off your hands.”
“Not a boy, a man. The sort you favor, captain—golden curls, pouty mouth. He’s quite pretty, I know you’ll agree.”
Captain St. Armand stretched out long legs clad in close fitting buckskins, admiring the shine on boots freshly polished. The brothel on St. Martin offered a variety of services to its clients, from excellent meals to boot-blacking, along with the usual amenities one expected from such establishments.
“If I bring a pretty lad aboard ship, everyone will want one. I don’t share my toys.”
“You’ll take him,” the madam said. “I’m calling in my marker for the incident last year.”
“That wasn’t my fault!”
“Your ship, your crew, your fault, St. Armand.”
“Really, that man needed some excitement in his life.”
“That’s not the excitement Mr. Carlson sought at this house. He never expected a goat.”
St. Armand snickered at the memory. “I still say what you’re asking is excessive.”
“I thought you’d turn me down.” Barbara Simpson took a sip of the sherry she’d served herself. Her guest was drinking Jamaican rum, as usual. “You should know though, the young man in question is Bunny Rathbone’s relation.”
“Bunny Rathbone! How is the dear old boy?”
“He’s well, moving up in the world. He wrote me to say his cousin was touring the islands and if he came here I should treat him as an honored guest. Bunny implied Mr. Woodruff needed to experience more of life. To put it bluntly, he called the young man a ‘stuffy, boring stick.’ I invited him to the house, but first he ran into a spot of trouble and I brought him here for safekeeping.”
The doors to the parlor were open to catch the afternoon breezes rustling through the bougainvillea—a restful pause before business commenced for the evening. Comfortably rounded and middle-aged, Mrs. Simpson was a shrewd businesswoman whose motto was to give the clients what they desired—within reason—and to treat her girls as she’d wanted to be treated when she’d worked there. She’d miss Captain St. Armand, a favored customer setting sail for Nassau after a stop to provision and catch up on mail and messages from home. A packed valise waited near the door.
“The two of us have fond memories of Bunny’s visits to this house, but I’m sailing on the tide, so bring your package out here and let me see for myself.”
The madam’s bully boys were summoned and returned a short while later with their “package” struggling between them in a futile attempt at freedom. It was a young man in his mid-twenties, and, as promised, he had bright gold hair and sky-blue eyes. One of those eyes was blackened, and a bruise discolored the left side of his face. He was also gagged with his hands tied in front of him.
“As you see, I need your help taking him away, and you could use a cabin boy. You told me so yourself. Mr. Woodruff has an unfortunate habit of speaking intemperately, and there were people who took exception to what he said.”
“People?”
“Americans. Ah, I thought that would interest you.”
“I am slightly tempted,” the captain said, looking the young man over. “I may have a use for him, other than the obvious one. As always, you have an excellent eye for the goods.”
The captive made a noise muffled by his gag.
“Don’t look so horrified, Sunshine. The work’s not onerous and it comes with special benefits. If he’s annoying the Americans I’m thinking of, it makes him far more trouble than he’s worth, Barbara. I’ll pay you for the goat incident and leave him to his own devices.”
“The goat incident set me back twenty-five pounds, not to mention the free services Mr. Carlson received for his embarrassment. You owe me, but if you take Woodruff with you to Nassau we’ll call it done.”
She directed one of her men to get the captive’s gear. The captain pulled a fine cigar from the mahogany box on the table, taking time to light it and inhale before answering.
“Twenty-five pounds? I don’t care how pouty his mouth is, there’s not a man alive worth that amount.”
The bound man squawked again, jerking against the hold on his arms.
“Untie the gag, James. Maybe Woodruff can convince me of his worth.”
The gag removed, the captive worked his square jaw back and forth, glaring at them.
“I demand you release me at once! I am a British citizen and I will notify the authorities!”
St. Armand looked at Mrs. Simpson, then both laughed aloud. Even the guard chuckled.
“How do you intend to back up that demand?” St. Armand asked. “Did you happen to bring a knife with you? Or guns? Or friends with guns?”
“Friends with guns are good, Captain.”
“Indeed they are, James, but I don’t believe Woodruff has friends here, with or without guns.”
“You cannot hold me here! I did not come to the islands to end up in a bawdy house!” he protested.
“Well, that’s your problem right there, Sunshine.”
Woodruff took a deep breath, then looked at the mistress of the house.
“You are not responsible for me, Mrs. Simpson. I am not unappreciative of your protecting me by keeping me here, but I can take care of myself.”
“You don’t seem to be doing a good job of it so far.”
He glared at the sea captain.
“I do not know what your interest in my affairs is, sir, but I do not need your assistance.” He started to step forward, but James’s heavy hand on his shoulder kept him in place.
St. Armand set down the cigar.
“It’s not up to you. Hold out your hands.”
Almost reflexively the man thrust his arms out. St. Armand’s knife sliced through the knots, but when Woodruff tried to pull his arm back, the captain gripped his hand and turned it over.
“Soft and smooth as a nun’s arse. You’ve never hauled lines or done work harder than holding a pen. Don’t look so astounded. I can tell you’re a scribbler from this callus on your finger.” Cold eyes scanned him from his face down to his feet. “Soft all over. I only take crew and cargo aboard my vessel. You are worthless to me.”
The brothel owner delicately cleared her throat.
“Goats, St. Armand. Remember the goats. You don’t have to keep him forever, like a pet. Take him to Nassau or Jamaica and leave him there. You owe me, and I owe”—she paused and looked at her guest—“our mutual friend, so let’s be reasonable about this.”
Woodruff stared at the sea captain. “You are Captain St. Armand? The Captain St. Armand, of the Prodigal Son?”
Before he could answer, the brothel’s majordomo knocked at the door.
“A note arrived for the captain, ma’am, and it’s marked urgent.”
St. Armand read the rumpled paper, a frown creasing the lean face.
“There’s no time for further debate. I’ll dispose of this person for you, Barbara, and make sure the body’s well hidden.”
“What? You can’t kill me!”
They ignored such a patently ridiculous statement, but Mrs. Simpson shook her head.
“I must insist.”
“Oh, very well. Woodruff, you’re coming with me. Your only choice is whether it’s bound and across your saddle, or riding.”
He appeared ready to argue, but after one look at St. Armand’s set face said, “I’ll ride.”
“You’ll find a way to turn a profit on him,” Mrs. Simpson said, rising to her feet as well, “I know you.”
“There is that,” St. Armand said cheerfully. “He could have an unfortunate and fatal accident aboard ship, and I know a surgeon in Nassau who pays well for fresh cadavers. Don’t look so pasty-faced, boy. If you follow orders, you should survive long enough to keep scribbling. The first order is this… The captain is always right, and when I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed. Say ‘Aye, Captain’ if you understand.”
Woodruff looked at him and swallowed.
“Aye, Captain.”
About the Author

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Darlene Marshall is the author of award-winning historical romance featuring pirates, privateers, smugglers, and the occasional possum. She loves working at a job where business attire is shorts and a shirt festooned with pink flamingos and palm trees. Marshall lives in North Central Florida, a convenient location for putting the convertible top down and researching sites of great historical significance, which also happen to be at the beach and serve mojitos.
Marshall is a graduate of the University of Florida and worked as a broadcast and print journalist, news anchor, radio station owner, obituary writer and a few other odd jobs. She’s section leader for Erotic Writing at TheLitForum.com.
Her books have been published in English, German and Estonian. Awards include the New England Chapter RWA (Romance Writers of America) Readers’ Choice Award and Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence for The Pirate’s Secret Baby; the Denver RWA Aspen Gold award (Castaway Dreams); the First Coast Romance Writers National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (The Bride and the Buccaneer), and two EPIC awards.
Represented by Barbara Collins Rosenberg of the Rosenberg Group.
 
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by | · 1:09 am

In the Land of Gods and Monsters Part II – Book Blitz

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In the Land of Gods and Monsters Part II

by Carmen Jenner
Publication Date: February 25, 2019
Genres: Dark Romance

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Read for FREE in KindleUnlimited: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon IT

In the land of gods and monsters, she was set free.

Left, lost, forgotten.

Cast out of the only world she remembers, Pet now answers to a new name—victim.

Ares walked away without a backward glance and left her desperate for safety, desire, and the freedom she found in his cruel touch.

But in the end, Pet discovers nothing is ever free.

In the Land of Gods and Monsters

by Carmen Jenner
Publication Date: November 20, 2018
Genres: Dark Romance

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Read for FREE in KindleUnlimited: Amazon

In the land of gods and monsters, she was a toy. A plaything. A pet.
His pet.
Taken, stolen, beaten, used.
Pet remembers nothing before his touch, and afterward she craves nothing more.
Sinful and merciless, Ares is her god now. He alone says when to beg, when to come, and when to kneel, but he never said anything about leaving.

Warning: In the Land of Gods and Monsters is a dark romance novel. It contains strong sexual themes, dubious consent, graphic violence, and may contain triggers for some readers.

About Carmen Jenner

Carmen Jenner is a USA Today and international bestselling author.

A hardcore red lipstick addict and a romantic at heart, Carmen strives to give her characters the HEA they deserve, but not before ruining their lives completely first … because what’s a happily ever after without a little torture?

Website | Newsletter | Amazon | Facebook | Reader Group| Bookbub | Goodreads | Books + Main | Instagram | Pinterest

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by | February 25, 2019 · 3:15 pm

CONTEMPT by Bethany-Kris – Reveal

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CONTEMPT

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #3

Publication Date: March 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

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Cover Reveal Credits: London Miller

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SYNOPSIS

How much is too much?

Five years—that was the deal. Renzo Zulla gave up five years of his life to repay a debt to an organization that only wanted to break him before they could make him. Their way, their rules. He doesn’t move without their okay, even if his latest job puts him right in front of her. But the five years are almost up, and he knows exactly where he’s going first.

Love doesn’t follow rules …

Heartbroken and alone—that’s how she survives. Lucia Marcello is alive, but a part of her still feels dead without him. She’s spent far too much time running away from her past and the pain she constantly holds tight because it’s easier than hating the people who caused it. But life has a way of bringing you back when your heart never will.

Love doesn’t fade …

But time means nothing, and forever might be only an illusion for them. Because where fate doesn’t step in, reality does. If hate is a game you play with your heart, and contempt is the game you play with your mind … where does that leave love?

Vendettas don’t care about love.

It’s in God’s hands now.

Note: CONTEMPT is the final book in a three-book Trilogy following the same couple.

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CONTEMPT teaser 1

EXCLUSIVE REVEAL EXCERPT

Lucia couldn’t breathe.

Oh, God.

She couldn’t fucking breathe.

She felt frozen on the side of the road. Standing just beyond the sidewalk, people blew behind her going in all directions. She could see people walking on the other side of the street, too. Going to somewhere, or coming from something. She didn’t know, but they all seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Her world had slowed.

Almost stopped.

Like her heart.

She was sure her manicured fingernails were digging crescent marks into her palms, but fuck, she couldn’t feel anything. Nothing but the beats of her heart. A thump-thump-thumping beat that felt like it was about to pulse its way right out of her chest, if it were possible.

She couldn’t hear anything, either. The city had seemed so loud to her that day. Almost two weeks in New York, and for whatever reason, the city came alive more than ever. And just like that, with a split second, it turned into nothing. No noise; nothing. There was only a rushing in her ears—her blood, she knew.

She had seen him.

Didn’t she?

She saw Renzo.

He was different, sure. Gone was the young man, and in his place was someone else who looked like him and stood like he used to. Gone was that leather jacket that he told her once he had won in a bare-knuckle boxing match. In its place was a new leather jacket full of zippers and opened so she could see the barest hint of ink peeking out at his throat. Strong features dusted with dark facial hair, and eyes so fucking expressive.

Those eyes hadn’t changed.

Even from all the way across the street, it had been his eyes that she noticed first.

Hadn’t it been him?

It had to be him.

Where had he gone?

Lucia felt like she had suddenly walked into the Twilight Zone, and absolutely nothing felt right or made sense. She knew that she probably looked like an idiot standing there on the side of the street staring across as though a ghost had just crossed her line of vision.

But that’s exactly what it felt like, too.

He was the fucking ghost.

A ghost from her past.

Sort of.

Renzo couldn’t be from her past when he had never left her mind, right? He still felt like a constant presence in her life every single day. He was never far from her thoughts. He was always in her heart, even though it felt empty, too.

God.

She couldn’t date because this man had ruined everything for her. Sex, men … love. All of it. She didn’t even try.

Her mind screamed move.

Her body didn’t.

She closed her eyes, and opened them again, looking away from the passing cab to stare across the street, only to find it was empty. Coming to visit Rose had been a last-minute decision—she kept in contact with Renzo’s younger sister just because she felt like it was the right thing to do. Sometimes, she didn’t call as often as she wanted to, and she certainly didn’t get to visit as much as she should, but Rose had never said anything one way or another.

And Diego …

That kid couldn’t wait to get on the phone with her. He could chat for hours about the most mundane things, but Lucia didn’t care. She would sit there and listen to him go on and on as long as he wanted her to listen.

She figured that since she was in the city, the least she could do was stop by. Especially as she still wasn’t sure when she was going back to Cali.

But she had not been expecting to see …

Well, had she even seen him?

It felt like her mind and heart had played a trick on her. It was as though she stepped out of that car, and saw what she wanted to see, and maybe … not what was there. Was that even possible?

Lucia didn’t know.

It felt like it.

Jesus.

But in her heart?

Her gut?

Her lungs?

That lost soul of hers?

It all said the same thing … she’d seen him.

She knew.

The parts of her that mattered—they knew.

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DON’T MISS THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE RENZO + LUCIA TRILOGY! FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED!

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BUY NOW!

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ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: https://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Pinterest • Mailing List • Amazon Author Page

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

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by | · 2:42 pm

The Case of Billy’s Missing Gun – Reveal

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(Sherlock and Me series)
Cozy mystery
Date Published: March 2019
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Super sleuth Lucy James is hired to find the Colt pistol that may have belonged to Billy the Kid. Hampered by dishonest weapon experts, a pawnshop murder and unusual architecture at a downtown casino, her investigation is rocky at best. A massive snowstorm has blanketed Reno leaving Lucy to slog her way to interviews with uncooperative witnesses. Her father’s abrupt firing from his job as the host of a local children’s television show and the impending marriage between her best friend Cindy Floyd and her detective fiancé Skip Callahan grab chunks of Lucy’s fleeting attention. But she is determined to find the missing gun before the next snowstorm even though she on and off relationship with handsome professor Eric Schultz is off again. With sheer tenacity and a pair of thick snow boots, Lucy muscles through to the mystery’s resolution. It isn’t easy but the mystery and murder never are.
About the Author

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SJ SLAGLE started her writing career as a language arts teacher. Her initial interest was children’s stories, but she moved on to western romance, mysteries, and historical fiction. She has published 24 novels, both independent and contract. SJ contributes regularly to guest blogs and has her own blog called anauthorsworld.com in which she discusses the research involved in the books she writes. SJ has established Twitter and Facebook fan bases, a quarterly author newsletter and a website under her pseudonym: JEANNE HARRELL at jeanneharrell.com.
Her first historical fiction novel, LONDON SPIES, was awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion in 2018 and Slagle was a finalist in the 2017 UK Independent Book Awards. She was given the Silver Award with the International Independent Film Awards for her screenplay called REDEMPTION. SJ conducts writing/publishing symposiums in her local area. OSLO SPIES, her second historical fiction novel will be published in September. She lives and works in Reno, Nevada.
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