'Return to Audubon Springs' by RoseAnn DeFranco

RETURN TO AUDUBON SPRINGS

By RoseAnn DeFranco

BLURB: 

When Emma Grant returns to her family's Audubon Springs beach house to fulfill the stipulations of her father's will, she has every intention of forcing her former lover out of the house for good. She's never fit into her wealthy family and would prefer avoiding her past, but with her brother threatening to reveal her young daughter, she has no choice.

Rafe Iuliano has other plans. The wealthy Grants tried to bribe him out of Emma's life years ago, but he's determined to prove once and for all that a master carpenter is worthy of Emma and the house.

Their ridiculous and steamy battle for the house reignites the love and passion that bloomed between them years ago. But when Rafe discovers she's kept their daughter a secret for two years, can he overcome anger and pride to claim his family and the love of his life, or will the deception drive a final wedge between them?

Read an excerpt:

“It’s good to see you too, Emma.” Rafe smiled. A flash of dimples tugged on her memory and heart. “Is falling into men’s flower beds a habit or should I feel special?”

“As it happens, I don’t see this as your flower bed, but rather my own.” Covered in dirt, Emma feasted her eyes on Rafe. She didn’t try to stand. Instead she pushed her hands further into the sticky mulch, needing something to hold on to, momentarily thankful to be on solid ground. She licked her lips. He looked good.

“Finally here to claim what’s yours?”

“Are you going to help me up or not?”

Rafe took a deep breath, and reached out a hand. When they touched, the same powerful jolt of electricity that used to exist between them ran up her arm and straight to her heart. He pulled harder than necessary and Emma slammed into his chest. She took a quick step back, needing space, and almost landed in the garden again. Rafe held on and steadied her.

“Whoa, easy. I don’t think the shrubs can take anymore.”

Her stomach twitched at the sound of his voice, so close it resonated in her ear and vibrated down her spine. His scent, masculine and fresh from-a-shower-clean, mesmerized her. He surrounded her even though he only stood in front of her, balancing her.

“Let go of me,” she whispered.

He complied by raising his hands, palms out, in the air as if they’d been burned. His heat lingered on her skin, and she ached with the loss of his touch. Emma went to work brushing the gritty mulch from her shaking hands.

“You always were a bit clumsy, huh, Ems?”

She snapped her head up, and her eyes landed on his playful grin.

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**FREE during this tour 11/5-11/8!**

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

RoseAnn DeFranco grew up in upstate NY with her nose in a book and a song in her heart. Following the pursuit of a musical theatre career in NYC, she turned her creative energy to writing romance. RoseAnn blogs about her writing experiences with her critique partners at www.thevioletfemmes.com. A NJ shore transplant, she enjoys time spent at the beach with her family. She would love to one day live in a quaint shore town like the fictional town Audubon Springs from her BROTHERS OF AUDUBON SPRINGS series. More information about these Contemporary Romantic Comedies can be found at www.radefranco.com.

Web links: www.radefranco.com; www.thevioletfemmes.com; @radefranco; https://www.facebook.com/#!/roseanndefrancoauthor

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'The Tempest Murders' by p.m. terrell

The Tempest Murders
by p.m. Terrell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:

A provocative story of a love that spans centuries, of soul mates found, lost and reunited… and the lengths to which one man will go to change their destiny.

Irish Detective Ryan O’Clery is working a series of homicides in America when he discovers a journal written by an uncle, Constable Rian Kelly, five generations earlier. The journal detailed the same type of murders as the worst storm in Ireland’s history slammed into the island in 1839.

As Hurricane Irene barrels toward the North Carolina coastline, Ryan discovers even the killer’s description matches his cases exactly. And as he falls in love with television reporter Cathleen Reilly, he begins to wonder if she is the reincarnation of Caitlin O’Conor, Rian Kelly’s lover—the woman who was lost to the killer as the storm raged in Ireland—and if he is the reincarnation of Constable Rian Kelly.

Now he’s in a race to rescue Cathleen before the killer finds her—or is history destined to repeat itself?

Read an excerpt:

“I know you too well,” Claire said. “You’re wanting the story of Caitlín O’Conor, aren’t you?”

“Who?”

She smiled. “Her name was Caitlín O’Conor. She was supposedly the great love of Ríán Kelly’s life. It was a star-crossed love story. Her father was a prominent man in the village and Ríán was a ‘lowly county inspector’ and though they were deeply in love, her father would not permit Ríán to ask for her hand in marriage.”

He felt his chest tighten and he sipped his coffee to avoid Claire’s piercing eyes.

“The tale is that they sneaked around for years; everybody knew it. Everybody except Caitlín’s father, that is. They were madly in love.” She sighed wistfully.

“What happened?” He kept his eyes on his coffee. “Did she marry someone else?”

“Her father died. Quite unexpectedly. Heart simply stopped. And without him in the way, they were clear to be married.” She brushed non-existent crumbs from the countertop before continuing. “He asked for her hand in marriage on New Year’s Eve. Let’s see, I believe it was 1838. Yes, that’s right. December 31, 1838.”

“How can you be so certain of the date?”

“Because seven days later, Caitlín was dead.”

His head jerked up and he stared into Claire’s eyes. They were as green as the fields of Ireland and now she cocked her head and eyed him curiously.

“He’d gone to Dublin, so the story goes,” she continued slowly.

“Ríán Kelly.”

“Aye. He’d been called away on business. And as Fate would have it, the great flood came while he was gone and Caitlín was swept away. It was January 6, 1839—Epiphany.” Her voice took on a whispered note as though she was telling a ghost story. “There were those in the faith who had forecast the end of the world would occur on January 6, 1839—the day of Epiphany. So when the air grew completely still, so still they could hear the voices of neighbors miles apart, there were some who thought the end was near.”

He waited for her to continue. His cheeks were growing flush and he could feel beads of sweat beginning to pop out across his brow. “What happened then?”

“By nightfall, there were gale force winds. They moved from the western coast of Ireland all the way to Dublin, where Ríán Kelly had traveled. Some said the winds were accompanied by an eerie moan, a rumbling of sorts. But not thunder; it was a sound never heard before nor since. It increased as the winds grew. And then the northern sky turned a shade of red that had never been seen before.

“Well, so the myth goes, Ríán Kelly left Dublin immediately. It was a miracle he made it back to the village at all. He traveled through the night, in the rain and the hail, with the winds all about him. Bridges had been washed away; the wind had been so strong—stronger than anything Ireland had experienced in more than three hundred years—so strong that it whipped the Atlantic into a fury and pushed it all the way across the island. Streams and creeks became raging rivers. Whole villages were wiped out. Even some of the castles were beyond repair.”

He rested his elbows on the counter and put his head in his hands.

“You’re sure you don’t want to lie down, Re? You look as if you might faint.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “What happened when Ríán Kelly reached his village?”

“It was gone. Oh, there were a few buildings still intact. The church, for one. But Caitlín O’Conor’s home had been washed away. There was no sign of Caitlín.”

“So that’s where the story ends, does it?”

“Oh, no. I suppose it’s where it just begins.”

**My thoughts**

Can history repeat itself? Can soulmates who are torn apart by murder be brought back together in later lives? p.m. terrell's book THE TEMPEST MURDERS seeks to answer these questions as we read about Ryan and Cait, a modern couple with an unexplained attraction and passion that feels like it has been present all of their lives, though they have just met. Ryan keeps dreaming about Cait, while also dreaming about his uncle five generation back, also named Rian, who was also in love with a Cait. Only Ryan doesn't realize that he is dreaming the past. He only sees his future in his dreams. At the same time, he is tracking a serial killer who targets women who resemble his Cait, much like what happened in the past.

This is another page-turning book that keeps you glued as you uncover the present mystery, as well as learning more from the past. It's a fun blend of a modern serial killer thriller with en epic romance that spans time and space. Swoon-worthy love that isn't overly graphic makes you dream of your own Irishman. And you just may believe in soulmates again.

Buy links

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than eighteen books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence.

Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee and her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org.

She sits on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library and the Robeson County Arts Council. She has also served on the boards of Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

For more information visit the author’s website at www.pmterrell.com, follow her on Twitter at @pmterrell, her blog at www.pmterrell.blogspot.com, and on Facebook under author.p.m.terrell.

p.m. will be awarding a Celtic bracelet (US only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

A message from p.m. terrell:

CELTIC JEWELRY

I think I’ve become known as the author who gives away all the beautiful Celtic jewelry!

It all started when I wrote Vicki’s Key and introduced Irishman Dylan Maguire. I became infatuated with all things Irish. I was given a beautiful silver Celtic key necklace which was made in Dublin, and I’ve worn it nearly every day since. The only time, in fact, that I am not wearing it is when I wear a silver Claddagh necklace.

I frequently give away a Celtic key necklace to someone following a blog tour. In Dylan’s Song, Dylan gives Vicki this necklace, explaining to her that it symbolizes the key to his heart. It is a key of love, of friendship, of goodwill and all that is positive in the universe.

I’ve also given away Celtic knot necklaces. Irish folklore says that each type of knot has a specific meaning. They are often associated with a family’s coat-of-arms or with eternal life, as some knots have no beginning and no end. It can also represent a never-ending path filled with faith, love, friendship and loyalty.

The Irish Trinity knot necklace, or Triquetra, often represents the holy trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, the knot predates Christianity and was used by Pagans to represent earth, air and water—the three things that allow life on our planet. To others, it represents the eternal process of life, death and rebirth.

When the Triquetra is surrounded with a circle, the circle itself represents eternity.

In the case of the Celtic bracelet, the symbolism of both the Triquetra and the typical Celtic knot are encompassed in a never-ending circle of all those things that give us meaningful life.

I like to think the winners of this jewelry enjoy the pieces as much as I do. There is something magical and mystical about wearing them!

'Light Bulb Baking: A History of the Easy-Bake Oven' Book Tour Blast

This first definitive retrospective of the Easy Bake® Oven celebrates its journey from children's toy to pop culture icon and inductee to The National Toy Hall of Fame. The book explores the innovation, history, economics, commerce, advertising, and marketing behind the toy’s 50 year history. This book is a must read for vintage toy collectors, nostalgia buffs, foodies, and anyone who has ever peered through the oven's watch it bake window, eagerly anticipating the moment they will be able to serve and enjoy their very own culinary concoction.

Purchase it on Amazon

About the Author:

Todd Coopee is a writer, award-winning business owner, toy historian, and pop-culture enthusiast. His affinity for nostalgia, vintage toys, and baking fed his passion for the Easy-Bake Oven, which led to his 2013 retrospective, Light Bulb Baking: A History of the Easy-Bake® Oven.

Todd lives in Ottawa, Ontario and has been known to bake tiny treats for his friends and family.

Follow Light Bulb Baking on:

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube

Learn more about Todd: http://about.me/todd.coopee

Follow the Book Tour

'Forward to Camelot' by Susan Sloate & Kevin Finn

Forward to Camelot  by Susan Sloate and Kevin Finn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

WHERE WERE YOU THE DAY KENNEDY WAS SAVED?

On the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination comes a new edition of the extraordinary time-travel thriller first published in 2003 with a new Afterword from the authors.

On November 22, 1963, just hours after President Kennedy’s assassination, Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President aboard Air Force One using JFK’s own Bible. Immediately afterward, the Bible disappeared. It has never been recovered. Today, its value would be beyond price.

In the year 2000, actress Cady Cuyler is recruited to return to 1963 for this Bible—while also discovering why her father disappeared in the same city, on the same tragic day. Finding frightening links between them will lead Cady to a far more perilous mission: to somehow prevent the President’s murder, with one unlikely ally: an ex-Marine named Lee Harvey Oswald.

Forward to Camelot: 50th Anniversary Edition brings together an unlikely trio: a gallant president, the young patriot who risks his own life to save him, and the woman who knows their future, who is desperate to save them both.

History CAN be altered …

Read an excerpt:

It was a famous photograph, one I’d seen many times. In the center of the photograph was a tall, burly man, with thinning hair slicked back, a large face, big flappy ears, right hand raised piously, facing a small brisk woman with dark hair and glasses. On the man’s right, crowded next to him, seeming crushed by his vitality, was another small dark woman, her face blank with conflicting emotions.

But the man, for all his bulk and heartiness, was not the magnetic force in the photograph. The woman on his left was. Younger than anyone else, with dark glossy hair, in a bulky light suit, her profile regal even in her anguish, blood spattering her clothes, she stood watching sightlessly. Her beauty and grief drew all eyes. Her pain was almost visible on the photo itself.

“This is the swearing in of Lyndon Johnson as president on Air Force One in Dallas, on November 22, 1963. His wife is on his right. Jacqueline Kennedy stands on his left. Sarah Hughes is the judge administering the oath. John F. Kennedy had been assassinated only a couple of hours before.”

“I know the photograph, George.”

“Good for you. Look here.” He pointed carefully at the almost invisible edges of the book under Johnson’s massive hand. “Johnson, of course, needed to be sworn on a Bible. Here it is, being held by Mrs. Hughes.”

“You want the Bible Johnson took the oath on?”

“I do. That Bible belonged to President Kennedy.”

I looked up in surprise. “It was Kennedy’s Bible? I didn’t know that.”

“It was the only Bible on Air Force One. Kennedy supposedly traveled everywhere with it. When they were scrambling to find a Bible—Johnson insisted on taking the oath before he left Dallas—they remembered Kennedy’s Bible and used that.”

“Well, can’t you buy the Bible from the Kennedy family? Even though I can’t imagine they’d give it up.”

“Well, now, that’s a problem. The Bible disappeared right after this picture was taken.”

I hated to admit it, but that intrigued me. It was getting harder to remember that I’d just lost my job a few hours before. “How could it disappear?”

“Well, the story goes that Sarah Hughes actually had it in her hands when she left Air Force One in Dallas. You have to understand—that day, the whole country was in a state of shock, and people did crazy things without realizing it, half the time. Coming down the ramp, Mrs. Hughes met a man dressed in a suit and tie and sunglasses, a man she believed to be a Secret Service agent. He asked her for the Bible. I don’t think she even realized she still had it in her hand. She gave it to him immediately; she thought he would return it to the Kennedy family.”

He paused. I was riveted. “At least, that’s what she said. But the Bible disappeared that day and was never seen again.” George paused again and gave me a devilish grin. “JFK’s own Bible, used to swear in Lyndon Johnson on Air Force One... what do you think an item like that would be worth?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t imagine.

“Nobody can,” he said softly. “Do you understand now? As a piece of history, part of one of the twentieth-century’s most pivotal events… that Bible would be beyond price. And I intend to have it.”

“You want me to find the Bible?”

“Not exactly. I know where it was on November 22, 1963. Sarah Hughes had it at Love Field.”

“Well, a fat lot of good that’s going to do!” I exclaimed. “Unless you’re somehow going to travel back in time and pick it up—”

“I’m not,” George said reasonably. “You are.”

AUTHORS' Bios and Links:

SUSAN SLOATE is the author of 20 previous books, including the recent bestseller Stealing Fire and Realizing You (with Ron Doades), for which she invented a new genre: the self-help novel. The original 2003 edition of Forward to Camelot became a #6 Amazon bestseller, took honors in three literary competitions and was optioned by a Hollywood company for film production.

Susan has also written young-adult fiction and non-fiction, including the children’s biography Ray Charles: Find Another Way!, which won the silver medal in the 2007 Children’s Moonbeam Awards. Mysteries Unwrapped: The Secrets of Alcatraz led to her 2009 appearance on the TV series MysteryQuest on The History Channel. Amelia Earhart: Challenging the Skies is a perennial young-adult Amazon bestseller. She has also been a sportswriter and a screenwriter, managed two recent political campaigns and founded an author’s festival in her hometown outside Charleston, SC.

After beginning his career as a television news and sports writer-producer, KEVIN FINN moved on to screenwriting and has authored more than a dozen screenplays. He is a freelance script analyst and has worked for the prestigious American Film Institute Writer’s Workshop Program. He now produces promotional trailers, independent film projects including the 2012 documentary SETTING THE STAGE: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, and local content for Princeton Community Television.

His next novel, Banners Over Brooklyn, will be released in 2014.

For updates and more information about Forward to Camelot: 50th Anniversary Edition, please visit http://susansloate.com/CAMELOT.html.

Susan and Kevin will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and their Virtual Book Tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

Meet Linda Bennett Pennell, author of 'Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel'

Please give a warm welcome to Linda Bennett Pennell! Check out her work and then leave her your own comments and questions below.

What was the inspiration behind this book?

When my parents and I moved to Lake City, we stayed at the Blanche Hotel for a few nights waiting for our furniture to arrive. Later I learned about its history. Al Capone really did stay there at least once in transit between Chicago and Miami. The hotel is also supposed to be haunted by a woman who killed herself over love gone wrong and children who died there for reasons that I don’t know. Wish I could report having had a close encounter with the supernatural, but alas it didn't happen. Very credible people, however, have reported hearing a woman crying and the sounds of children running and playing when there was no one else in the place at the time. Over the years, the county has had its share of difficulties with moonshining, prostitution, and gambling. Knowing these tidbits of history sparked my imagination and Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel is the result.

What kind of research did you have to do?

Having lived in the town and visited the Blanche on many occasions, I didn't have to research the hotel itself. In addition, I am very fortunate to have had a mother-in-law from a family that had lived in the area for generations. Although none of her stories are in my novel, her voice played in my memory as I wrote. The hardships of the Depression and little tidbits about the county that are not generally known now did find their way into the plot via all the conversations she and I had over many years. The novel is a great deal of fiction and a little history.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using such a well known historical figure, such as Al Capone, in a work of fiction?

The advantages of using a well known figure is that of instant recognition. The downside is that you better have your facts straight or have a ready explanation for why you changed history. People can be touchy about what might be seen as poor research.

I grew up on property that was adjacent to some formerly owned by one of Al Capone's buddies. He often used to stop there on his trips to Chicago. As a kid, as we were studying the gangsters in American History and American Literature, we researched other local places frequented by these gangs. For me, it was learning about history literally where I grew up. Why do you think others are drawn to these stories?

I believe it is because people are fascinated by those who choose to live outside the law and by the mystery that surrounds them. We don't necessarily want to emulate their choices, but we seem to get vicarious excitement from seeing bad guys act out and then be brought to justice. Just think about all the cops and robbers movies, books, and TV shows. Law and Order and its spinoffs have been some of the most successful franchises in the history of television. Of course, some people enjoy darker entertainment where the bad guy doesn't always get his in the end. No Country for Old Men comes readily to mind. But whether the good guy wins or loses, we humans seem drawn to the edgier side of life, if only in the safety of our own living rooms.

Please tell us about your next book, due out next year.

My next book due out in 2014 from Soul Mate Publishing is entitled Confederado do Norte. Here is the back cover information: Set during the aftermath of the American Civil War, Confederado do Norte tells the story of Mary Catherine MacDonald Dias Oliveira Atwell, a child torn from her war devastated home in Georgia and thrust into the primitive Brazilian interior where the young woman she becomes must learn to recreate herself in order to survive.

In 1866, Mary Catherine is devastated when her family immigrates to Brazil because her father and her mother’s brother, Nathan, refuse to accept Reconstruction. Shortly after arrival, she is orphaned, leaving her in Uncle Nathan’s care. Nathan hates Mary Catherine because he believes her childish mistake led to his sister’s death. She despises him because she believes Nathan killed her father rather than share an incredible secret. At fourteen, Mary Catherine discovers Nathan’s plan to get rid of her as well and flees into the wilderness. Finding refuge among strangers, she ultimately marries the scion of a wealthy Portuguese family at age seventeen. Happiness and security seem assured until civil unrest brings armed intruders who have a mysterious connection to Mary Catherine. When the thugs murder her husband for failing to meet their demands, she directs the intruders to her uncle and his secret in order to save the remaining family members. Once they are free from danger, however, her powerful in-laws accuse her of complicity in her husband’s death. Mary Catherine’s survival now rests in her own determination, wits, and courage.

Are you working on any other projects?

My newest project is a World War II romantic suspense set in Casablanca in 1943. It is tentatively entitled Assignment: Casablanca. It involves an OSS officer, an army nurse, and a plot to disrupt the war's first Allied conference.

What do you find appealing about writing historical fiction?

I have been in love with the past for as long as I can remember. Anything with a history, whether shabby or majestic, recent or ancient, instantly draws me in. I suppose it comes from being part of a large extended family that spanned several generations. Long summer afternoons on my grandmother's porch or winter evenings gathered around her fireplace were filled with stories both entertaining and poignant. Of course being set in the South, those stories were also peopled by some very interesting characters, some of whom have found their way into my work.

How do you get yourself out of a writing rut?

To get out of a rut, take a break from writing when frustrated or the ideas just won't come. It is a trick my grandmother taught us. Although she didn't write novels, she was a wonderful seamstress and made clothes for all of her eleven children. It was definitely a creative pursuit for her because she sewed clothes that looked ready made without using patterns. She always said that when one became frustrated with a project, one should take a break from it and do something completely different. When one picked up the troublesome project again, a solution would present itself. So far, it has worked every time!

What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?

Most people are surprised to learn that I have had close relationships with real gangsters. Sadly, they were young people lured into present day street gangs, primarily Crips and Latin Kings. Such is the life of a secondary public school administrator.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for hosting me, Andrea. It has been fun answering your questions. If there are readers who are also contemplating a career in fiction, I would suggest the following. We humans are truly multifaceted creatures, but unfortunately we tend to sort and categorize each other into neat, easily understood packages that rarely reveal the whole person. Perhaps you, too, want to step out of the box in which you find yourself. I encourage you to look at the possibilities and imagine. Be filled with childlike wonder in your mental wanderings. Envision what might be, not simply what is. Let us never forget, all good fiction begins when someone says to herself or himself, "Let's pretend."

Thank you so much for your time!

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel
by Linda Bennett Pennell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel tells a story of lives unfolding in different centuries, but linked and irrevocably altered by a series of murders in 1930.

Lake City, Florida, June, 1930: Al Capone checks in for an unusually long stay at the Blanche Hotel, a nice enough joint for an insignificant little whistle stop. The following night, young Jack Blevins witnesses a body being dumped heralding the summer of violence to come. One-by-one, people controlling county vice activities swing from KKK ropes. No moonshine distributor, gaming operator, or brothel madam, black or white, is safe from the Klan's self-righteous vigilantism. Jack's older sister Meg, a waitress at the Blanche, and her fiancé, a sheriff’s deputy, discover reasons to believe the lynchings are cover for a much larger ambition than simply ridding the county of vice. Someone, possibly backed by Capone, has secret plans for filling the voids created by the killings. But as the body count grows and crosses burn, they come to realize this knowledge may get all of them killed.

Gainesville, Florida, August, 2011: Liz Reams, an up and coming young academic specializing in the history of American crime, impulsively moves across the continent to follow a man who convinces her of his devotion yet refuses to say the three simple words I love you. Despite entreaties of friends and family, she is attracted to edginess and a certain type of glamour in her men, both living and historical. Her personal life is an emotional roller coaster, but her career options suddenly blossom beyond all expectation, creating a very different type of stress. To deal with it all, Liz loses herself in her professional passion, original research into the life and times of her favorite bad boy, Al Capone. What she discovers about 1930’s summer of violence, and herself in the process, leaves her reeling at first and then changed forever.

Read an excerpt:

CHAPTER TWO

August 15, 2011
Gainesville, Florida

Liz Reams glanced at the caller ID and grimaced. She didn’t have time for this, but guilt wouldn’t let her put the conversation off any longer. Sighing, she pressed the talk button and prepared to listen with forbearance and humility.

“Hello, Roberta. I’m so glad to hear your voice. I was beginning to think we were going to play phone tag forever.” Internally, Liz squirmed. Her conscience yelled, liar, you returned calls when you figured you’d get her voicemail.

Roberta’s reply made Liz cringe. While she endured the diatribe pouring through her cell phone, Liz eyed her purse, book bag, and laptop case huddled together on the sofa. She couldn’t afford to be late today of all days. Her eyes narrowed as her gaze paused on her laptop. She had paid more than a month’s rent for the thing, but as much as she loved its power and speed, it was also a constant reminder of her dereliction. It only compounded her guilt that everything Roberta said was true.

Available on Amazon

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I have been in love with the past for as long as I can remember. Anything with a history, whether shabby or majestic, recent or ancient, instantly draws me in. I suppose it comes from being part of a large extended family that spanned several generations. Long summer afternoons on my grandmother's porch or winter evenings gathered around her fireplace were filled with stories both entertaining and poignant. Of course being set in the South, those stories were also peopled by some very interesting characters, some of whom have found their way into my work.

As for my venture in writing, it has allowed me to reinvent myself. We humans are truly multifaceted creatures, but unfortunately we tend to sort and categorize each other into neat, easily understood packages that rarely reveal the whole person. Perhaps you, too, want to step out of the box in which you find yourself. I encourage you to look at the possibilities and imagine. Be filled with childlike wonder in your mental wanderings. Envision what might be, not simply what is. Let us never forget, all good fiction begins when someone says to herself or himself, "Let's pretend."

I reside in the Houston area with one sweet husband, one German Shorthaired Pointer who thinks she’s a little girl, and one striped yellow cat who knows she’s queen of the house.

Favorite quote regarding my professional passion: "History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up." Voltaire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLindaBennettPennell

Website: http://www.lindapennell.com/

Twitter: @LindaPennell

Linda will be awarding a $15 Amazon or BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon or BN GC to a randomly drawn host. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

'Garrison's Creed (Titan series #2)' by Cristin Harber

Garrison's Creed 

by Cristin Harber

A SPY RUNNING FOR HER LIFE
Nicola is an injured CIA agent on the run from a failed undercover operation. Her escape plan shatters when she slams into the man who buried her a decade ago. Cash Garrison. Her first and only love. Now, sexier than her best memory and cradling a sniper’s rifle, he has questions she can’t answer. Why was she alive? And armed?

AND THE MAN SHE COULD NEVER SEE AGAIN
Cash is an elite member of a black ops organization, The Titan Group. He thought Nicola died his senior year of college and swore off love to focus on a decade of military missions. But when she shows up behind enemy lines, bleeding out and wielding a weapon, his heart and mind are unsure how to proceed.

BATTLE BETRAYAL TO SAVE THEMSELVES
Titan and the CIA join forces to uncover a mole hidden in a network of international terrorists and homegrown mobsters, teaming Cash and Nicola again. They fight old wounds and re-ignite sparks while closing in on a double agent. When disaster strikes, Nicola’s hidden past makes her the hunted target and Cash’s best kill shot may not be enough to save them.

**My thoughts**

This second installment in the Titan series is another hot one! I like it when you are introduced to characters in one book and then they get a chance to tell their own story. 

We met Cash in the first book, Winters' Heat. He has made himself into somewhat of a playboy, because the love of his life died. So, imagine his surprise when one day he runs into her during a mission! It's a good thing that he recognized her ... 

The two of them have instant chemistry, because they have a history together. It's a little easier to buy their relationship than the one in the first book in the series. Cash and Nicola are also very different. Cash is the bad boy and Nicola is an alpha female type, who can stand up for herself.

Rediscovering a smouldering love after ten years isn't the easiest thing in the world, and this couple definitely has their share of ups and downs. They also have some super hot sex scenes together! If you thought the first book was hot ...

And I will say that for those who don't like to read explicit scenes and a lot of foul language, this book will not be up your alley. It isn't always my favorite thing to read in a book, but every once in a while I don't mind mixing it up! This series is a fun departure from my usual romances, because of the hotties mixed with the action of being a Titan.

We are also introduced to some more new characters, who look like they will appear in later installments of this series. It will be fun to check those out, as well!

Buy on :

Amazon | Paperback | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | All Romance

Meet the author:

Cristin Harber is an award-winning romantic suspense author. She lives outside Washington, DC with her husband, toddler, and English bulldog. Coming fall 2013, she’s expecting a baby and will debut her Titan series. Couple that with the holidays, and it’ll be a busy time of year. There’s a special place in her heart for the men and women who serve and protect. Since she can’t save the world alongside them, she’s content to write their happily ever after stories.

Follow Cristin on FaceBook | Twitter | Goodreads | Literary Addicts | Website

 

Sign up for Cristin's Newsletter for series info

 

Read an exclusive excerpt from 'Cardinal Desires' by Linda Nightingale

Cardinal Desires
by Linda Nightingale

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

How can Katy McCaully resist Sterling Fox?

At fifteen, she fell in love with a man in a painting, and he looks exactly like that Novgorodian knight. Even though he's got the keys to her chemistry set, she mustn't succumb to his charms. She's a forensic psychiatrist working with Scotland Yard. He's a high-profile journalist who invades the underworld for a story or broadcasts live at the scene of the world's worst tragedies.

Police and media do not mix. They are both trying to capture the same animalistic killer whom newspapers have dubbed The Vampire Slayer. Modern London doesn't know that the Slayer has also killed four vampires. Katy doesn't know that Sterling is a vampire until too late—after she's fallen in love with him.

Read an exclusive excerpt:

A strong hand closed on hers, and Katy knew how the sea felt at tide-turn, how a tree felt when lightning poured from the sky, and at once its roots quivered with glory and death. In the comfort of Sterling’s embrace, his body heat warming her, the need for him was hot as a fever.

“I’m on your side.” He squeezed her hand. “We’re not enemies.”

Common sense presented its case. “We don’t have to be enemies. We can’t be friends.”

“Good. I don’t want to be your friend.” He wound an auburn curl around his finger and touched her hair to his lips.

An electric charge sizzled through Katy. Throw your heart over and follow it. Tuesdays, she had riding lessons with a wiry Scotswoman. When she balked at jumping her horse over a six-foot fence, Dority had given her that sage advice. “Throw your heart over and follow it, lass. You'll land fine on the other side.”

“We'll take my car. I'll drive you home.” He shot her a sexy wink. “If you want to go home.”

The arrogance of the man! Handsome devil expected women to tumble into bed with him. She shrugged off his embrace. “Taking a lot for granted, aren’t you, Mr. Fox?”

“I'm kidding, okay?” He frowned. “Give me a break, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart. Her heart sailed over that six-foot fence.

“I know you were kidding.” She grimaced. “So was I.”

Katy could no longer resist. She rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. He smelled of leather and a faint trace of herbal shampoo. Never had she been more aware of her body, her emotions, the wind and rain. In the shelter of his arm, she felt safe and complete.

Suddenly, she was flying.

Sterling seized her in one arm, balancing the umbrella above them, and swung her over the rain gushing across the sidewalk. He set her on her feet in the dry but didn't release her from the one-armed embrace. She gazed into his eyes as if he’d appeared from nowhere, and, in a way, his appearance was a miracle. Her warrior had stepped down from the canvas into reality. She imagined his beautiful body naked, wrapped around her, legs and arms entwined. Her heart thumped a hungry beat, echoing between her legs, her trigger tingling. Willful eyes wandered to the tantalizing shape beside his zipper.

“Katy,” he released her, took her chin in his hand, “you can’t hold this line much longer.”

The cold truth drilled through her heart. “You’re too accustomed to getting your own way.”

“Wrong again.” The passion in those smoky green eyes would have knocked her socks off had she been wearing socks.

Her breath froze in her lungs. He didn’t seem to be breathing. The world jolted along its way as two strangers stood in the rain and tried to deny the most natural of human needs.

“Sometimes,” the thought escaped her, “I feel as if—”

“We know each other.” Lips parted, he bent to kiss her.

If he kissed her, she was a goner.

Available on Amazon

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Born in South Carolina, Linda has lived in England, Canada, Miami, Atlanta and Houston. She’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer, having bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses for thirteen years.

Linda began writing in high school when her favorite English teacher, Mrs. Burriss, allowed her to submit a short story instead of a book report. She also wrote very dark poetry brimming with teenage angst. These she showed to an editor at the local newspaper and was promptly shot down. Thereafter, she put her pen away until 1992 when she began a vampire novel which became Sinners’ Opera.

With Cardinal Desires, she won the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award and received a call from Berkley. The publisher didn’t publish vampires (at that time) and asked if she had anything else. Novice that she was, she said “no” rather than asking what they wanted!

She works in the legal field and has two wonderful sons. She loves Andalusian and Lusitano horses, her snappy black convertible and her parlor grand piano—and writing, of course. Visit her web site for a free vampire story starring Morgan D’Arcy, the hero of Sinners’ Opera and a member of the supporting cast in Cardinal Desires.

Other Works: Gemini Rising (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08IGfFxPCWQ), The Night Before Doomsday, Black Swan

Links:

Web site: http://www.lindanightingale.com

Twitter: @LNightingale

Blog: http://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/linda.nightingale.52

Linda will be awarding a Grand Prize of a $25 Amazon/BN Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. An autographed Cover Flat & Gemini Rising Pen (US ONLY) will be awarded to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour and another randomly drawn commenter during the tour will be awarded Trading Cards of Characters from Sinners Opera (US ONLY). Follow the tour for more chances to win!

Visit Karen Dove Barr and Skidaway Island, GA

Please welcome author Karen Dove Barr to Andi's Book Reviews today. She has crafted a beautiful book about Skidaway Island in Georgia.

What was the inspiration behind this book?

I’ve been an outdoors person most of my life and thought I was pretty knowledgeable about Georgia’s plants and animals. I was riding my bike one morning with my shih-tzu when I stopped at the edge of the marsh to check out a large bird with black feathers on the top of his head. I remarked to another person, also out to catch the sunrise, “the early bird gets the worm.”

I was really surprised when he told me I was mistaken; this bird, a black-crowned night heron, has infrared night vision and was coming in from overnight fishing, not getting started.

I thought if there was that much I didn’t know that my neighbors, mostly new to the island, would also be interested in learning about our wildlife. Nycticorax nycticorax, about the black-crowned night heron was my first nature story.

What story is your favorite?

I love and hate all my stories, depending on how easily the words are coming. I think the story about the oak tree that fell next to my house made the biggest impression on me. All my stories are true and I was terrified when the tree started coming down. I didn’t know which way to run.

My story began appearing in local publications a few weeks later, allowing time for me to write it, and for the newspaper and magazines to publish it. By then the public works people had done a fantastic job in removing most traces. I was amazed to have a long line of cars passing in front of my house each day when the story was published. People were looking to see the tree.

Do you have any plans for follow-up books?

Amazing events involving wildlife continue taking place on Skidaway Island. I’ve published at least ten new stories since Wild Times on Skidaway Island went to Strategic Media Books. One resident video-taped a duel to the death between a possum and a red rat snake in his back yard, another surprised three otters in her swimming pool, a baby owl hatched in a pine tree about to be removed for new construction.

I’m getting more proficient with my camera. I hope there is enough interest in Wild Times on Skidaway Island to justify a sequel.

Thank you so much for your time!

Thank you for having me. I hope your followers enjoy the book.

Wild Times on Skidaway Island

by Karen Dove Barr

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB:

Wild Times on Skidaway Island, Georgia's Historic Rain Forest, details life in a unique Audubon-designated, ecologically friendly refuge. There, golfers pitch balls around endangered great blue herons, mama raccoons march their babies across backyard decks where once Guale Indians trapped ancestors of the same raccoons, and residents dodge alligators and rescue snakes.

Even the vegetation is wild. Three hundred-year-old oaks dripping Spanish moss and poison ivy surmount an under-story of wax myrtle and holly. Carolina jasmine, Cherokee roses, and endangered orchids grow wild in the rain forest. The book examines choices residents make when stared down by a bald eagle, when a red-tailed hawk mistakes a golf ball for bird food, when wakened at midnight by deer munching hibiscus. Wild Times on Skidaway Island educates about the species that residents must adapt to on this historic island.

Read an excerpt:

When Walt and Carol Culin topped their house at The Landings with a coated metal roof they were confident the roof would be problem-free for a hundred years. Walt’s contacts as head of an industrial coating company helped him get the latest technology. Even a hurricane shouldn’t destroy their unusual–looking roof.

But nothing in Walt’s Princeton-educated background prepared him for dryocopus pileatus, the pilated wookpecker.

Male pilated woodpeckers are fixated on the notion that female woodpeckers are attracted to the stud with the noisiest pecker. Usually the woodpecker has to be content with drumming on a hollow tree to resonate his sound. Walt and Carol’s metal roof, however, raised the bar for the local woodpecker population. Walt and Carol were regularly awakened by mate-seeking woodpeckers as soon as they moved into the house.

Walt ended up having to make a run to Toys ’R Us for rubber snakes. Glued to the chimney alongside a big fake owl, the snakes allowed Walt and Carol to catch some winks in the early morning during woodpecker mating season.

**My thoughts**

The love that Karen has for Skidaway Island is evident in all of the hard work she put into this book. The pictures are stunning, with only a couple of them a little blurry, at least in my review PDF. But you know that some of those creatures are difficult to capture! I can appreciate that from my own photography attempts with wildlife and children! Each chapter is well-researched and provides a wealth of information about the flora or fauna being discussed. I also liked reading about the different activities that people enjoy on the island. It definitely sounds like a place I would like to visit the next time I head south. This is also a book that would look nice on my coffee table.

Book links

Also available from Strategic Media

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Karen Dove Barr, Attorney, was recently recognized by the Georgia State Bar for providing legal assistance to military families and service members. She has practiced in the field of family law in Savannah for 34 years.

http://www.karendovebarr.com/

https://www.facebook.com/karendovebarr


Karen will be awarding a $25 Walmart gift card to FOUR (4) randomly drawn commenters during the tour, and a Grand Prize of an Apple iPad to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

'Just Out of Reach' by Belinda Stevens

Just Out of Reach

by Belinda Stevens

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When high school freshman Katherine Boyd meets David, her life is forever altered. Their romance experiences the turmoil of Mississippi in the sixties, family relationships that keep them apart, and political differences that threaten to destroy them. Through the death of JFK and James Meredith’s admission to Ole Miss, Katherine’s growth means being progressive in a traditional Southern family, accepting the loss of those closest to her, and learning to cope with her family’s darkest secrets. Just Out of Reach is the story of a young woman forged in desperate times and a love that changes her life forever.

Read an excerpt:

I was numb from the news. As I listened to Dr. Pierce, my mind seemed to separate from my body. It was like my family doctor, the same doctor that had delivered my girls, was talking to someone else. I thought I had been so careful but, obviously, not careful enough. I was pregnant, and Tom was not the father! I thought about my last pregnancy. This time I knew I would not abort. Other than that, I didn’t know what I was going to do. As I drove home, I thought about the events that had lead to my present state; all the things Tom did wrong and the things I did wrong as well.

After Birmingham, things settled down somewhat. For the girls’ sake, Tom stopped drinking. But we still fought over everything from civil rights to how I raised the girls, especially Katherine. She was her father’s favorite, and Tom felt she could do no wrong. My youngest daughter was very independent and had a strong, stubborn streak in her. No matter how I tried to force her to behave, she fought back. It always led to tantrums, tears, and eventually spankings. As my daughter grew older, the fighting between me and Katherine worsened, with Tom acting as a referee. The fact that my husband sided with Katherine enraged me. This, of course, widened the gulf between me and Tom. We were like strangers living under the same roof, barely speaking to one another. There were days and sometime weeks of silence between the two of us. Things rocked along unchanged until the fall of 1958.

Available on Amazon

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Belinda J. Stevens was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the gateway to the Mississippi Delta, in 1948. She grew up in the turbulent sixties, and has a true appreciation for the difficulties experienced by Katherine in Just Out of Reach, which is Belinda’s first novel. She is an attorney who currently practices law in Yazoo City and resides in Brandon, Mississippi with her dog, Humprey B.

Facebook: facebook.com/belinda.stevens.733

Twitter: @BelindaSteven20

Blog: belindastevens.blogspot.com

Belinda will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour for more chances to win!