Monday, September 28, 2015

To Win Her Love By Mackenzie Crowne, Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters By Deb Julienne, Lucky For You By Jayne Denker, Starting Over By Stacy Finz

   To Win Her Love
By Mackenzie Crowne 

 Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters
By Deb Julienne 

Lucky For You
 By  Jayne Denker 

Starting Over 
By Stacy Finz 
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BLURB: To Win Her Love by Mackenzie Crowne 

To win the game, they’ll have to risk losing their hearts…

When a bizarre child custody stipulation pits popular sports blogger Gracie Gable against football superstar Jake Malone, losing the battle for her twin nieces isn't the only thing Gracie has to worry about. Forced to live for three months under the same roof as the sexy tight end, will she fall prey to his flirtatious pursuit? Or worse, will the skeletons in her closet destroy her chance for the love and family she so desperately wants?

Neglected by his parents as a boy, Jake doesn’t believe in happily ever after. Yet living with Gracie and the twins might be enough to change his mind—and his womanizing ways. But when the press unearths a scandal from Gracie’s past, will he lose the one woman he was ready to open his heart to?

Release Date: August 4, 2015 
Publisher: Lyrical Shine 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Ebook/Paperback

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To Win Her Love is available for order at:



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Meet the Author:

Wife, mother and really young grandmother, Mackenzie Crowne shares her home with her high school sweetheart husband, a neurotic Pomeranian, and a blind cat. She calls Arizona home because the southwest feeds her soul. Her love of the romance genre has been a lifelong affair, both as a reader and a writer. A bout with breast cancer sharpened her resolve to see her stories shared with others. Today, she’s a seven-year survivor, living the dream. Her friends call her Mac. She hopes you will too. 

Visit her website at mackenziecrowne.com, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/MacCrowne.

For More Information:

Visit Mackenzie website | Facebook |  twitter.com/MacCrowne

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BLURB: Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters by Deb Julienne 

Angel Talbot is anything but pure—in fact some might even consider her a bit wicked. How else would you describe the manager of an ‘adults only’ store that specializes in helping ladies find that special O. But Angel could use a hand herself. Or two. That is until she stumbles into sexy businessman Travis Wellington.

When the Wellington Family had a problem, they sent Travis to fix it. Being the CEO of his family’s multi-million dollar enterprise means Travis is used to getting his hands dirty. But the pressure of looking out for the company, along with his family’s well-being was beginning to take its toll . . . until he found his Angel…


Release Date: August 4, 2015 
Publisher: Lyrical Shine 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Format: Ebook/Paperback 

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Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters is available for order at:


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Meet the author:

While some say truth is stranger than fiction, Deb Julienne’s experience runs more along the lines of a slap-stick comedy. When life tosses you lemons the only thing to do is to turn it into Limoncello.

After writing for almost 20 years, she’s about to be an overnight success. Her life, like her comedies, has been one big fat romantic comedy…or errors. It’s not a matter of “if” it can go wrong, but how bad when it does happen, and make no mistake…it will. Survival with a sense of humor is the goal.

Joking aside, Deb’s dream of being published came true with the release of her first book, Sex, Lies and Beauty Aids, which was released March 2014. Since then she’s added to more to her collection of tales. Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters, and A Splash of Romance in the Crashing into Love Anthology.

As a long time member of both Romance Writers of America (RWA) and her local RWA Chapter, the Sacramento Valley Roses, she fills the hours she’s not writing romantic comedy and romantic suspense with her day job at a Silicon Valley Corporation, playing in the kitchen concocting her award-winning jams, jellies, preserves, and sauces (with alcohol of course).

Born and raised in San Jose, California, she now resides in the Tahoe National Forest Basin, her own little bit of heaven on Earth, with her husband of 34 years, their three sons and one daughter, and two very precocious grand kids, with a third on the way.


Visit Deb’s website | Twitter | Facebook | Google +




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BLURB: Lucky For You by  Jayne Denker: 

 It’s where everyone remembers your name—and your mistakes. But the quaint Catskills town of Marsden has a way of inspiring the unlikeliest reunions, flipping the script on the best laid plans, and opening even the most stubborn hearts…

Jordan Leigh’s always had a reputation for being bad news. So she figured it was only a matter of time before she got into serious trouble. But serving house arrest in her hometown of Marsden is truly cruel and unusual punishment. Plus she's under police officer Will Nash's up-close-and-all-too-personal supervision…which could make things worse—or more fun.

To make amends, Jordan throws herself into making nice with her neighbors, taking in stray animals, and helping teenage girls get back on track. But what she really wants is to get on the right track with Will. To do that, she’ll have to show him she's grown up. And if that means making him break his own rules and face down his own fears, she's up for the challenge …

Release Date: August 18, 2015 
Publisher: Lyrical Shine 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Format: Ebook/Paperback 

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Lucky For You is available for order at:


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Meet the Author:

Hi and thanks for visiting my blog! I’m glad you stopped by! Hoping to have new posts up frequently, but…well…you know how it is. But I’ll do my best!

 Important professional stuff: I’ve been a writer all my life, even—gasp!—getting paid for it, sometimes even—double gasp!—in full-time jobs. I’ve also worked as an editor and proofreader, which makes my novels, if nothing else, very clean. Of course, in publishing terms that means very few grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors, but it is tempting to legally change my name to Paul’s Grandfather. (Obscure reference clarification here.)

After I quit my last full-time job about five years ago to stay home and raise my son, my husband said I should “knock out a few dozen romance novels over a couple of weekends” to get filthy rich. Hah! He’s a funny guy. In a misguided kind of way. Still, the idea of getting back to writing fiction after many years in the nonfiction biz was intriguing, so I joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and jumped right in. Overnight success took three and a half years.

And of course I’ve got no guarantee of that success thing, overnight or not. My first contemporary romance, By Design,was published (e-book) by Kensington in May and my second, Unscripted, in August, and my third, Down on Love, in November. My fourth, a followup to Down on Love, will be published in July.

Important personal stuff: I live in a small village in western New York with my husband, son, and a very sweet senior-citizen basement kitteh who loves nothing more than going outside, where she sits on the front walk and wonders why she begged to go outside. I’d post a picture, but she always looks stoned. Too much ‘nip, perhaps? When I’m not hard at work on another novel (or, rather, when I should be hard at work on another novel), I can usually be found frittering away stupid amounts of time on Facebook. Check in with me there (“Jayne Denker Author”) or on Twitter (@JDenkerAuthor). You can also drop me an e-mail (Jayne.Denker@gmail.com) anytime—I’d love to hear from you. And stop by and say hey on my Goodreads page!

Visit Jayne’s website | Twitter | Facebook


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BLURB: Starting Over By Stacy Finz 


The mountain town of Nugget, California, may be tiny, but with its breathtaking scenery, fresh air, and lovable locals, it has everything. Not to mention it’s the perfect setting for firsts—and seconds—of all kinds…

On the day of her glitzy New York City wedding, society girl Samantha Dunsbury ditches her Wall Street groom, and hops in her convertible. Her only plan is to head west. But when a pit stop lands her at a lovely Victorian inn in Nugget, she doesn’t want to leave. And when the innkeeper needs someone to fill in, Sam is thrilled to take the job—her first! For once, she’s going to do what makes her happy. She just has to figure out what happy looks like. She never expects it to look like her surly new boss…

The last thing Nate Breyer needs is a debutante dilettante mucking up his business. How his sister—and co-owner—could’ve hired Sam is beyond him. Nate’s known women like Sam before—he was engaged to one once. With no options, he’ll just have to keep his eye on her while also keeping his distance. But to his surprise it turns out Sam’s got a knack for the job, and for putting folks at ease—including Nate. As business—and pleasure—heat up their relationship, Nate finds himself ready to do anything to persuade the runaway-bride to stay permanently gone…

Release Date: August 18, 2015 
Publisher: Lyrical Shine 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Format: Ebook/Paperback 

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Starting Over is available for order at

Amazon | B&N | KOBO | Google Play


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Meet the Author


Stacy Finz is an award-winning journalist. After more than seventeen years covering notorious serial killers, naked-tractor-driving farmers, fanatical foodies, aging rock stars and weird Western towns for the San Francisco Chronicle, she figured she finally had enough material to launch a career writing fiction. In 2012 she won the Daphne du Maurier Award for unpublished single-title mystery/suspense. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband.





Visit Stacy’s website | Twitter | Facebook


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Tour Schedule 

September 21
Book featured at Review From Here
September 22
Book featured at The Literary Nook
September 23
Book featured at I'm Shelf-ish
September 24
Book featured at The Dark Phantom
September 25
Book featured at Bent Over Bookwords
September 28
Book featured at Reviews by Crystal
September 29
Starting Over Reviewed at Written Love Reviews
September 30
Win Her Love Reviewed at From Me To You
October 1
Book featured at Around the World in Books
October 2
Book featured at Deal Sharing Aunt
October 5
Book featured at A Taste of My Mind
October 7
Book featured at Voodoo Princess
October 9
October 12
Book featured at Harmonious Publicity
October 14
Book featured at Write and Take Flight
October 15
Book featured at All Inclusive Retort


HARVEST MOON by Lisa Kessler ~ Release Day Blitz


It’s finally here! I am so excited to be celebrating the release of HARVEST MOON by Lisa Kessler! Please join in on the celebration today over on Facebook.

About HARVEST MOON:

Dr. Jason Ayers unleashes all of his rage and his frustration through fists and brute force in an underground boxing ring. The werewolf may be the pack’s doctor, but he can’t even heal his coma-stricken father after the Nero Organization’s attack stopped his heart. And as his Pack brothers settle down around him, he still refuses to believe in the fairy tale notion that every wolf has a true mate...
In hiding and on the run, nurse Kilani Akamu is a loose end that Nero is desperate to tie up. She can't afford to be attracted to a doctor—especially one as unexpectedly hot and complex as Jason. Yet the sexual sparks arcing between them are undeniable...and Kilani's precognitive senses warn her that temptation is inevitable.
All it takes is one touch to send Jason's wolf howling. But even if he could protect her from Nero, he can't protect her from himself…

Excerpt:

We walked down to the water. The cool water rushed around our ankles and a giggle bubbled up from my throat. “Oh, it’s colder than I remember.”
“You probably splashed around during the day.”
I nodded. “I used to collect sand dollars with my mom. She’d tell me stories about how mermaids used them for money.”
“This must have been a great place to grow up.”
“Yeah. For a while it was…” The moonlight sparkled on the water, and for the first time, I realized thinking about my mom hadn’t made me angry.
Another wave came in hard, splashing up our pant legs. Jason jumped back, laughing. “Shit. That one surprised me.”
Behind us, the band broke into a cover of “Hungry Like the Wolf.” I smiled up at mine. He was sexy even in soaking-wet blue jeans. “Dance with me.”
He chuckled, glancing down the beach. “I’m not much of a dancer.”
“You can’t listen to this song and not move to the beat.” I let my hips sway to the pulsing drumbeat as I took his hand. “There’s no one out here to see. Just feel it.”
He rolled his eyes but gradually started to move with me. The waves crashed and raced toward us, but I barely noticed. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Jason. Once he got over being self-conscious, he could move. I danced around him slowly, enjoying the hunger in his gaze.
As the band finished and started a new song, Jason pulled me close, my breasts pressed tight to his chest. “This wolf is very hungry.”
I ran my hands up his chest. “Dancing can tell you a lot about a person.”
He raised a brow. “I’m afraid of what I just told you.”
I laughed as another wave drenched us. “You like to be in control, but the second you allowed your body to respond to the beat, your instincts took over and you danced. You surrendered.” Kissing his chest, I whispered, “You have an artist’s passion trapped inside your analytical mind.”
Jason lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. His forehead rested against mine. “I’ve never liked dancing.” He started to sway with the music and the tide, turning us slowly. “But maybe I just never had the right partner.”
His lips claimed mine as the waves broke around us. My pulse raced, my body warmed, and gradually he broke the kiss. “You make me feel invincible.”
But he wasn’t invincible. None of us were, and my vision of him bleeding from a gunshot wound was never far from my consciousness.

Purchase Links:





About the author:

Lisa Kessler is an Amazon Best Selling author of dark paranormal fiction. She's a two-time San Diego Book Award winner for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror and Best Published Romance, as well as the Romance Through the Ages Award for Best Paranormal and Best First Book. She currently writes the Night Series and the Moon Series for Entangled Publishing.

Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, and has performed with San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.

You can learn more at http://Lisa-Kessler.com

Connect with Lisa Kessler:


Tell By Allison Merritt ~ The Heckmasters ~ COVER REVEAL

 Tell 
The Heckmasters, Book 3
By Allison Merritt

Release date: March 8, 2016

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Blurb:
Half demon, all male...one woman strong enough to love him.

Knowing the day will come when his demon blood will overcome his humanity, Tell Heckmaster has been searching for a miracle. Something, anything, to counteract the spell. So far, he's come up empty.

Just as the town of Berner has finally found peace, Tell's worst fears manifest. Strange, new powers are tearing at his finely honed control. Putting everyone-including the pretty seamstress he's kept at arm's length-in terrible danger.

Sylvie Duke has everything she needs. Everything except Tell, who doesn't seem to own a lick of sense. His resistance only strengthens her resolve to stay by his side, driven by a nameless inner knowing that without her, all will be lost.

Reluctantly, Tell is forced to admit that the closer he is to Sylvie, the better he's able to quell his demon. But when a cryptic warning from an old ally tips the balance, nothing-not even love-may be strong enough to protect Berner from the raging fires of hell.

Warning: Contains a woman who can handle a hatchet with as much skill as a needle, and a man whose touch can transport her to heaven. Or hell. Accidentally, of course. Readers may wish to invest in an asbestos suit. Potholders just aren't going to cut it.

ISBN13: 9781619233010
Length: 70k

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Book Links:
Amazon  | Samhain |  B&N | Goodreads

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About the Author:

A love of reading inspired Allison Merritt to pursue her dream of becoming an author who writes historical, paranormal, contemporary, and fantasy romances, often combining the sub-genres. She lives in a small town in the Ozark Mountains with her husband and dogs. It's not unusual to find her lurking in graveyards, wandering historical sites, or listening to ghost stories.

Allison graduated from College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri with a B.A. in mass communications that's gathering dust after it was determined that she's better at writing fluff than hard news. 

Social media links:

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 Wystan (The Heckmasters)
Amazon | Goodreads  


 Eban (The Heckmasters, Book 2)
Book Links:
Amazon | Samhain | B&N |  Goodreads 

Emerald Bound By Teresa Richards ~ GUEST POST ~ GIVEAWAY

Emerald Bound
By Teresa Richards


Giveaway:   $20 Amazon Gift Card. Please use the RaffleCopter below to enter. 


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Guest Post:

Hi everyone! I’m Teresa Richards and my debut novel, Emerald Bound is now out in the world. Emerald Bound is a dark YA retelling of the fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Here’s my super-short twitter pitch so you can quickly get the gist of it:

A semi-reformed stalker. A down-and-out princess. Together, they must stop an enchanted, power-hungry emerald.

And, okay, here’s the official blurb in case you want more:

A princess, a pea, and a tower of mattresses. This is the sliver that survives of a story more nightmare than fairy tale. 
Maggie Rhodes, high school junior and semi-reformed stalker, learns the tale’s true roots after a spying attempt goes awry and her best friend Kate ends up as the victim of an ancient curse. At the center of the curse lies an enchanted emerald that has been residing quietly in a museum for the past fifty years. Admirers of the gem have no idea that it feeds on life. Or that it’s found its next victim in Kate.  

Enter Lindy, a school acquaintance who knows more than she’s letting on, and Garon, a handsome stranger claiming he knows how to help, and Maggie is left wondering who to trust and how to save her best friend before it’s too late.

If only Maggie knew her connection to the fairy tale was rooted far deeper than an endangered best friend. 
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I am so excited for you all to read it! Having my baby out there is all kinds of terrifying and all kinds of exhilarating, all at the same time. This is the first stop in my week-long blog tour to celebrate the release of Emerald Bound. What better way to celebrate than with a little glitz?

One of the earliest scenes I wrote for this book was the one where Maggie attempts to sneak into the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC to steal the emerald that holds her friend captive. In preparation to write this scene, I visited the museum to scope everything out. My favorite area of the museum (Maggie’s favorite as well) was the national gem collection on the second floor. I based my descriptions of the cursed emerald that causes so much trouble for my characters on the MacKay emerald necklace, which I fell in love with during my visit. Here’s a picture of it—isn’t it gorgeous? 







There were so many other amazing jewels there. I don’t wear much jewelry (aside from earrings—I love earrings), but one visit to the national gem collection, and I was pining for a giant necklace full of sparkly rocks.

Here are some of the other gorgeous items on display:













The Victoria-Transvaal Diamond













The Hope Diamond














The Carmen Lucia Ruby


I could go on and on. But I’m sure you’re wondering… is Maggie successful in her attempt to steal the gorgeous yet cursed national treasure? Does she get distracted by all of the sparkly things around her and forget why she’s there? What will happen to her friend if Maggie turns into a jewel-crazed zombie, ogling the Harry Winstons and French crowned jewels along with the rest of the museum’s patrons?

Sorry, but I can’t spoil it for you. I just can’t.

But I can tell you I had so much fun taking this fairy tale and twisting it up to create Emerald Bound. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Oh, and next time you’re at the Smithsonian, maybe keep your distance when you’re admiring the emeralds. They’re a sneaky lot.


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BLURB:


A princess, a pea, and a tower of mattresses. This is the sliver that survives of a story more nightmare than fairytale...

 Maggie Rhodes, high school junior and semi-reformed stalker, learns the tale’s true roots after a spying attempt goes awry and her best friend Kate ends up as the victim of an ancient curse. At the center of the curse lies an enchanted emerald that has been residing quietly in a museum for the past fifty years. Admirers of the gem have no idea that it feeds on life. Or that it’s found its next victim in Kate.
 Enter Lindy, a school acquaintance who knows more than she’s letting on, and Garon, a handsome stranger claiming he knows how to help, and Maggie is left wondering who to trust and how to save her best friend before it’s too late.
 If only Maggie knew her connection to the fairy tale was rooted far deeper than an endangered best friend.

Fantasy, Romance, Suspense
Evernight Teen Publishing ~ 83,000 words
Editor's Pick


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Buy Links:  

Evernight Teen    Amazon

Follow along with the tour HERE

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Excerpt:

A part of me died long ago.
It was the part of me that feels, and it was Calista’s fault.
What happened tonight was nothing new—innocent victims welcomed into our home, not knowing they would never leave. I learned long ago I could not help them, so I stopped trying.
But this time something was different. This time I was awake, burning with a gut-wrenching guilt, as the next victims slept downstairs. This time I knew the victims. And they didn’t deserve what was coming.
It had always been hard for me to make friends. I’d been called loner, loser, outcast, and freak. Even still, I remembered Maggie offering to show me around when I first transferred to their school. Through her, I met Kate and Piper. The three of them were always nice to me, while other kids kept their distance and spread rumors behind my back. I told myself I didn’t care—I wasn’t like them.
But being a loner was lonely.
So tonight when I saw Maggie and her friends here, something inside me snapped. Or, perhaps it was the dead piece of me coming back to life. Now I cared desperately about what was happening in the room below mine.
But there was still nothing I could do.
Calista usually lured in victims from out of town to avoid arousing suspicion. Pregnant ones were a particular favorite—easy prey, she called them. But Maggie and her friends came here all on their own. The opportunity was too good for Calista to pass up.
Everyone thought Calista was my mother, but she wasn’t.
Back in my day, almost four centuries ago, Calista had an alternate method of luring in victims. She and her husband, Theodore, advertised for hired help with their inn. The number of parents willing to sell their daughters into a life of servitude in exchange for a forgiven debt or a clean slate was staggering.
My father was one of them.
By the time my mother found out what he’d done, it was too late. There was no escape. I was bound.
My story was well known in this land, whispered as a bedtime tale to ease children into sleep. But, just like any other story passed down through time by rumors and idle gossip, the fragment that survived was woefully incomplete. It began something like this:
There is rumored to have been (once upon a time, of course) a princess, a pea, and a tower of mattresses.
That much was true, though in actuality it was only one mattress, not twenty. The pea was also real, though most would call it a precious stone—an emerald, to be precise.
The gem that sealed my fate was now in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. Calista was furious when she found it missing. She thought I’d stolen it until she remembered my limits. The identity of the true thief remains unknown.
Even though the emerald is no longer in our possession, we are still bound to it, as it is bound to us. Admirers of the opulent necklace where it rests don’t understand it. Like me, the gem is a prisoner, struggling against its fate.
Even now, centuries later, I don’t understand all the details of what happened to me that night. But it began with a troubled slumber on a bed of enchanted emeralds.



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About the Author:

Teresa Richards writes YA, but loves anything that can be given a unique twist. Her zombie stories 'Are You My Mombie?' and 'The Zombie Code' can be found in Z Tales: Stories from the Zombieverse by The Fairfield Scribes.
When Teresa’s not writing, she can be found either chasing after one of her five kids, or hiding someplace in the house with a treat her children overlooked. Emerald Bound is her debut novel.
You can connect with her on twitter @BYUtm33 or at authorteresarichards.com.





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