Welcome to the Blurb Blitz tour for A Song for Sophie! Mackenzie will be awarding one of her backlist titles in PDF format to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a Grand Prize of a bundle of 15 PDF titles from various authors and genres of romance, (excluding erotica) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So follow the link and comment, comment, comment!
A Song for Sophie
Written by Mackenzie Crowne
Jobless, practically homeless, and tired of being manless, Sophie Taylor jumps at the chance to be Beaumont Walker’s personal assistant. Six weeks on the road with country music’s bad boy—and, more importantly, his all-male crew—is the perfect opportunity to change her life.
Beau Walker doesn’t need any more distractions. Sophie, with her butt-ugly suits and balls-to-the-wall attitude, shouldn’t be one, but she proves to be distracting and more—even, surprisingly, a friend. So when he discovers her plan to snag a man from his worldly wise crew, he’s determined to protect her from herself.
When Sophie realizes Beau is behind her failure to attract even one member of his crew, the last place she expects to find herself is in his bed. But will one night of passion convince her she’s woman enough for him? Or will it destroy their friendship and his budding belief in true love?
Excerpt:
His lunch date? Is he insane? His definition of a personal assistant was obviously different than hers. “Now, just a minute.”
Beau ignored her, pulling her toward the wood paneled building. She blinked up at the neon star mounted above the door. A flashing steer rode above the sign announcing the Lonesome Steer Honky Tonk. A few miles outside of Amarillo, she’d driven by the popular bar occasionally, but had never been inside.
“A honky tonk? Really? This isn’t the kind of place I’d expect to find your mother.”
He kept a tight hold on her wrist when she tried to jerk free. “Savanna started her career on the Lonesome Steer’s tiny stage. She makes a point to stop in to see the owner whenever she’s in town.”
Yanking open the door, he pulled her in behind him. Her eyes were slow to adjust to the dim light after the bright sunshine outside. She blinked, glancing around as the door thumped shut behind them. Surprisingly busy for a weekday afternoon, most of the round wooden tables were occupied beyond the large, empty dance floor.
Heads turned at their arrival. Several of the diners called out greetings while others jabbed elbows at their companions and nodded in Beau’s direction.
“Unless you want me to cause a scene in front of your adoring fans, I suggest you let go of my wrist.”
Author Bio and Links:
I’m a wife, mother, and grandmother (a really young one). My husband and I were blessed with two rambunctious little boys who we managed to raise into wonderful men without any disfiguring mishaps. Dirt bikes and ESPN are the order around our house, and life at the ‘Testosterone Ranch’ more closely resembles one of today’s wacky reality shows, than yesterday’s ‘Leave It To Beaver’.
I’m one of eight kids, raised just north of Boston. I moved to Phoenix as an adult because living in the southwest feeds my soul. My childhood was a free-for-all, chock full of laughter, love, family and friends. I was raised on the concept that a stranger is just one conversation away from being a friend and I’m happy to say, that experience remains true today.
My love of books, specifically the romance genre, has been a lifelong affair, both as a reader and a writer. A bout with breast cancer sharpened my resolve to see my stories shared with others. Today, I am a five-year survivor, living my dream.
Today is a Blurb Blitz for Cristin Harber’s Winter Heat. Cristin will be awarding a $25 GC to Victoria’s Secret, and gifted e-copies of the five titles in the series (starting w/ Winters Heat. Three novels and two novellas) to one randomly drawn commenter during this tour AND the Virtual Blitz Tour.
After putting her life on the line to protect classified intelligence, military psychologist Mia Kensington is on a cross-country road trip from hell with an intrusive save-the-day hero. Uninterested in his white knight act, she’d rather take her chances without the ruggedly handsome, cold-blooded operative who boasts an alpha complex and too many guns.
Colby Winters, an elite member of The Titan Group, has a single objective on his black ops mission: recover a document important to national security. It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out operation. But now, by any means necessary becomes a survival mantra when he faces off with a stunning woman he can’t leave behind.
When Titan’s safe houses are compromised, Colby stashes Mia at his home, exposing his secret—he’s the adoptive father of an orphaned baby girl. Too soon, danger arrives and Mia lands in the hands of a sadistic cartel king with a taste for torture. As hours bleed into fear-drenched days, Colby races across the globe and through a firestorm of bullets to save the woman he can’t live without.
Excerpt: Setup- Colby Winters and Mia Kensington are waiting for her attackers to make another move. They’re trying to appear distracted outside a motel room, as if they let their guard down.
What was it like? Oh, man. He had a thing for her in a bad way. Winters bent his head toward her. Their foreheads kissed, and there was no question. While she was with him, she was his. His to protect. His to savor. A woman like Mia was rare. At least he had brains enough to notice.
He never should’ve put her in this position. He could’ve packed her off in a plane, back toward the East Coast. Someone from Titan could’ve kept her safe while he finished his original job. But selfishness and curiosity made it so he wouldn’t push her away. He couldn’t, because an irrepressible desire consumed him, powering lust through his veins.
“Colby.” Her hushed whisper tickled his skin. “What are we going to do?”
His pulse thumped in his neck, and he tightened the forearm wrapped around her waist, melding her onto him.
I’m on the job. Serious danger ahead.
He’d missed it before and couldn’t let that happen again. No time for arousal. No time for fantasies.
Images flooded his brain, searing his senses. He remembered the taste of her tongue. Red-hot cinnamon. A sweet, delicious burn of aphrodisia.
What were they going to do? Where to begin… A million ideas popped to mind, starting with making good use of the wall behind him.
No woman had pressed against him like this, so pliable, supple, and luscious. They had always draped him like sex kittens on steroids. Those other women were as over-sexed and one-dimensional as they were obvious, all self-fulfilling prophecies, and they were the definitive opposite of Mia Kensington.
Before Mia’s hands explored him, before her beautiful body had even disrobed, she toyed with his mind like it was the first of many playgrounds. And he wanted to play so bad.
“I’ve started a list.” His lips flitted over hers. “Want me to share?”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “What kind of list?”
“I have you thirty feet from a bed. What kind of list do you—” A drunken couple stumbled out of the bar. Actually, more likely a john and a pro. He should have seen them before he heard them. “More on the list later, doll.”
Men were coming to hurt her, and his hard-on could pick another time for games.
“Okay, Mia, here’s what we’re going to do. When they pull up, act like we let loose. We had too many drinks.” He motioned to the karaoke bar with a tip of his head, then dipped his lips to her neck, lingering under her ear. “I’m convincing you to come to my room. You’re not putting up too much of a fight. Just enough to keep it fun.”
He nipped her earlobe, and she took a tiny gasp. It made his gut jump. Her taste drugged him, intoxicated him. Temptation was a cruel mistress. Giving him a little and making him wait.
“That’s your plan?”
“Not my whole plan, no. But that’s the part you have to play.” He traced the slide of her neck. “Think you can act mildly interested?”
“You’re crazy.” Her voice was husky. “Men are trying to kill us. How can you think about sex?”
“You’re not?”
“I’m… I’m—”
“You’re what? I’m getting into character. You should give it a try.”
“You’re rubbing your hard-on against me, is what you’re doing.”
“All part of my cover. Believable, huh?” Her innocent act was toast. She was far more like Jessica Rabbit than Snow White. “If I tried to drag you off to bed right this second, you wouldn’t join me?”
There was only one answer. He knew it. Felt it as sure as he felt her body mold against him. She couldn’t fight their hunger either.
Her breaths escalated. The quick rise and fall of her breasts fueled him. Winters cupped her chin in his hands, palms caressing her cheeks. Sweet Mia. If he could freeze this moment, it’d be one he’d put on repeat.
“I would,” she whispered. “But…”
“Forget everything else. It’s just you and me.” He thumbed her lips, dragging the bottom one down.
Slowly, his hands drifted into her hair. Lust hung heavy in the cool night air. Her dark lashes fluttered, and her hard nipples pressed against his chest.
How beautiful would she be naked? How would she feel? Impossibly smooth. He would whisk across her sensitive spots, watching those succulent breasts rise and fall in anticipation. He would make sure she ached for him. As much as he ached now.
His fingers tangled into her hair, and Mia leaned her head back, heavy lidded and heady breaths.
“Shouldn’t you watch for the bad guys instead of torturing me?” Her eyes were sealed shut, defenseless.
His lips grazed her neck, and she purred, the sinful sound acting as a deft stroke to his already engorged shaft.
“You don’t think I can multi-task?” He kissed behind her ear, dancing his mouth down her neck. It was a tease. A simple promise of what was to come. When he had a moment to concentrate on her, he’d do whatever it took—lick, kiss, caress, and suck—to make her cry out for him.
His fingers slid to her nape, trailing to the front of her shirt. The fabric felt fragile under his palms. He was losing a battle to a ripped shirt on a pretty girl, but revenge would be amazing.
“How can you do this,” she nudged her head down to where he nuzzled his erection, “and pay attention to anything else?”
“Can you imagine what it’s going to be like between us when I don’t have to worry about anyone but you?”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Cristin Harber
Romantic Suspense Author: Higher Stakes. Hotter Action.
MOM. WIFE. AUTHOR.
Lover of all things sexy and happily ever after.
I live outside Washington, DC with my family: my husband (who doesn’t mind my collection of book boyfriends), an independent toddler, and an English bulldog named Britta who loves to be a conversation piece. Oh, we have a baby on the way—arriving about the same time as WINTERS HEAT debuts!
I love southern food, listen to country music, am always too hot or too cold, and spend hours reading and writing. I cheer on my University of Louisville Cardinals-GO CARDS! When I’m not pregnant (or nursing), I like a little bourbon or sweet wine. Pregnant or not, I love a lot of chocolate.
I can’t save the world, so instead, I write about those that do. There’s a special place in my heart for those who keep us safe. My Titan series debuts this fall with five titles available in 2013: WINTERS HEAT, GARRISON’S CREED, WESTIN’S CHASE, CHASED, and GAMBLED.
Links:
NEWSLETTER signup for series info: http://bit.ly/11aWFzM
Welcome to today’s Super Book Blast from Goddess Fish Promotions! To Steal a Highlander’s Heart, by Samantha Holt. One randomly drawn commenter will receive a $50 Amazon gift card, so be sure to visit the other sites and comment!
BLURB:
Alana sets eyes on Morgann for the first time in several years and what does he do? He captures her! But Alana refuses to go meekly with the sexy Highland warrior. Her kidnapping will reignite the rift that’s existed between the two clans since her father accused Morgann of theft and she doesn’t want to see her father harmed in the inevitable war that will ensue.
Unfortunately for Alana, the faeries seek to interfere with her plans to escape. The sidhe have a debt to repay and Tèile, the green faery, is determined to mend the rift between the clans for good. And that means ensuring Alana and Morgann marry.
Morgann has his own reasons for taking Alana and they are nothing to do with marriage or war. He wants to use her to reveal a secret from the past, the one that had him accused of theft. If only he didn’t find his childhood friend so attractive. When circumstances force them together, Alana’s life is threatened and war is imminent. Can Morgann reveal the truth without losing Alana? And will the faeries meddling help or hinder his cause?
EXCERPT:
Endless moments stretched on as she waited for Morgann to look away, to break the connection, but he stared brazenly on as his gaze trailed over her face. What did he see? As she gaped up at him, the irate warrior dissolved into a flesh and blood man and she recalled how much she used to adore him. When Morgann was banished from her father’s lands, she’d been heartbroken at losing her friend, but with the blazing sensation of having him flattened against her, she remembered that it wasn’t just the loss of his friendship that hurt her so. She’d always silently hoped Morgann would play a bigger role in her future.
But that didn’t change the fact that he was taking her against her will and she would not go meekly, regardless of what she once felt. If only she could ignore the sensuous pull of his lips or the darkening of his pupils as a rough finger drew a path over her cheek.
A crack ripped across the sky and they both jolted. Pushing to standing, Morgann helped her up and grimaced as he eyed her. Aware of the mud coating her, she swiped a hand across her face as her cheeks heated. Titling her head up, she hoped the rain would at least be useful for something and would not only rinse away some of the dirt but also cool her down. The way the man made her skin blister was extremely disconcerting.
Morgann muttered a curse, drawing her attention back to him as he raked a hand through his hair and yanked some rope from the leather pouch hanging from his saddle. As he turned back to her, rope held out, Alana shrank away. “Ye cannae mean to tie me up, surely?”
AUTHOR BIO AND LINKS:
Samantha resides in Warwickshire, England with her twin girls and husband. She’s a romance addict and has been devouring all kinds of romance for as long as she can remember.
Having studied archaeology, Samantha likes to blend her love of the past with her passion for romance to create thrilling and passionate tales set to medieval backdrops. She thinks there’s nothing sexier than a rugged warrior and a feisty maiden falling head over heels for each other.
Welcome to guest author, Molly Ann Wishlade! I have a special surprise for you today. If you comment on this post from now until it’s release date on August 30th, I will enter you to win Desire in Deadwood, Molly’s book due out in August. I will buy the book myself and send you the digital copy in the format you prefer. Comment to win.
Thanks, and please join me in welcoming Molly!
Who or what is your greatest writing influence?
This is so hard to answer because I am influenced by so many things and so many people. I have a great many friends who are authors and I feel that naming them individually might mean that I leave someone out (which I would hate to do) but I have been influenced by them and by everything I’ve ever read. So thank you to each and every one of you for your inspiration! However, I also believe that it’s incredibly important to be true to your own author voice, so whilst I may be inspired, I would never try to imitate anyone else’s style.
What is your favorite part of writing, i.e. character sketch, research, setting, getting involved in story, plotting, etc.
Getting into the writing…when it really starts flowing and the characters create their own story. They even surprise me sometimes because I’ll have an idea of where I think they’re going but they often choose their own course. They also follow me around all day and whisper to me, telling me their thoughts and feelings so I HAVE to have a pen and paper ready at all times!
What is your favorite aspect of reading a novel?
Being grabbed by the story and characters so that I can’t put the novel down. This can happen on the first page or a few pages in, but I love that feeling! It’s always hard when I finish a book I’m enjoying because it’s like leaving old friends behind. This is guaranteed to make me look for more books by that author though!
I see from your website that you love to discover new wines. Do you have a favorite?
I’ve tried so many that it’s hard to pick one. I do love Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne for a special occasion because it’s so crisp, clear and delicious but it’s white or rose at the moment because it’s summer. When it gets cooler, I enjoy a spicy Shiraz, snuggled up in front of an open fire – especially with the Christmas tree lit up.
When did you absolutely know you had to be a writer?
I always harbored a dream to be published but I thought that it was one of those things that happens for others, not people like me. So, following University, I became a teacher then had two beautiful children. I was so busy being a mother and working that I didn’t have much time to think about being creative. At times, I would sigh and my eyes would mist over with unrequited longing (and sometimes the effects of wine) for what could have been but then I’d put my ‘practical’ head on and dismiss my ponderings.
However, as my children got older, I felt that yearning to write building again. Only this time, it was stronger. I’d immersed myself in motherhood but I wasn’t happy with my job, so I took a career break and tried writing a medical romance. I read lots of romances, plotted a story then wrote the first three chapters and a synopsis.
I submitted my manuscript to a major romance publisher then waited . . . and waited . . .
I should have been finishing it then starting the next one but I didn’t. I procrastinated. A lot! Then some more. When the rejection finally came, I wasn’t surprised. So, what did I do? Not a lot. It just wasn’t the right time for me, I guess. Instead of having another go, I got myself another full time job at a different school and packed away my dream of writing, thinking that perhaps I didn’t really have it in me.
However, when I met my husband and told him all about my dreams, something clicked. He really believed that I could do this and he encouraged me to go for it. His confidence boosted my own and spurred me onwards. He’s such a strong and determined man that with his support and faith in me, I felt more confidence in my ability than ever before.
So, armed with his support and now getting more rest (as my beautiful children were now both sleeping through the night) I began writing in earnest. I scoured the internet for submission calls and publishers accepting unsolicited manuscripts. I wrote and plotted and submitted. There were rejections but they weren’t heartbreakingly negative. I even had several ‘revise and resubmits’ which gave me hope and encouraged me to persevere.
My lowest point came just before Christmas last year when a Regency I’d submitted as an R&R was rejected and I felt like throwing in the towel once again.
Guess what? I didn’t.
A dear friend of mine did a thorough critique of it and told me what the issues were but also what she loved about it. It was a steep but invaluable learning curve and it increased my determination.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Love and passion do exist in very powerful forms and sometimes in life we have to make difficult choices, but in spite of these choices, we are still entitled to happiness. (I’ve learnt this from personal experience.)
The words ‘Age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety…’ – from Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra – often play in my head too. People are interesting and attractive at all ages, and life experiences (especially the difficult ones) enrich us with wisdom and complexity. These qualities are about more than physical appearances and I want my characters to demonstrate this.
The description of Cleopatra continues…other women cloy / The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry / Where most she satisfies… and I think that this is what I aim to create in my characters. The hero has to be hungry for the heroine – and vice-versa – and that hunger has to be insatiable throughout the novel and their HEA.
Do you ever use your life experiences in your novels?
Ha! Ha! Writing erotic romance means that this can be a difficult one to answer. I believe that my novels are filled with my belief in passion, love and the endurance and determination of the human spirit. I hope that my writing reflects my warmth and integrity. As for the erotic scenes, they’re not autobiographical. Honest! 😉 I write fiction. I read fiction. I watch TV and films. I don’t live in a bubble. I’m a human being. I think the list goes on!
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one book with you, what would you take?
Jane Eyre. I first read it aged twelve and I’ve read it over and over and over! At each stage of my life, I appreciate it for different reasons.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one song with you, what would you take?
This is so difficult! I just love so many bands and so many songs. At my wedding in 2010, I walked into the room with my husband and children to the song Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, so that one has particular importance. But then, following the ceremony, we celebrated with Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin…
Are you working on any projects right now?
Yes, I’m editing another Western – Harlot at the Homestead – which I’m hoping to submit within weeks.
Do you see writing as a career?
Absolutely!!! Although I love being in the classroom, there are elements of teaching that I wouldn’t miss, whereas, I just LOVE everything about writing! I’m an extremely creative person and I would love to spend my days creating new worlds and characters and making my work the best it can be. This isn’t just about being published for me but about being a good writer.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Sometimes, I reach a point in a story where I get what’s known as ‘writer’s block’. The main reason this happens to me is because I get so tired after working all day. I give so much as a teacher that it can hinder my creative flow – as does the stopping and starting that occurs because I can’t just get up early and get on with my writing. However, weekends and holidays are wonderful times because I can relax and enjoy quality family time but also write when I choose and that’s when I’m incredibly productive!
The other challenge (one that I quite enjoy) is when I’m writing one novel and ideas for another just pop into my head. During the middle of my current WIP, I had such a powerful idea for another plot that I had to stop and write it down. Five thousand words later, I returned to my WIP. That novel, which is actually a modern day erotic romance, is waiting in the wings for once I’ve finished editing Harlot at the Homestead.
Where can people find your website or any other information about you?
My debut novel Desire in Deadwood will be released by Total E Bound Erotic Romance Ebooks on 30th August 2013
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Absolutely!!! Enjoy!
Blurb for Desire in Deadwood
After more than a decade of separation, can Nate Hamilton really put aside his hurt and learn to forgive the woman who destroyed his life then help her to find her heart’s desire in Deadwood?
Deadwood, 1878, Nate Hamilton and his former sweetheart Evelyn Campbell meet up after more than a decade of separation.
When the widowed Evelyn discovers that her tuition post has fallen through, she is left destitute and concerned about how she will provide for her son, until Nate offers her a way to earn some money – and a way to exact his perfect revenge for her betrayal – he will pay her to be his own private whore.
The combination of past hurts, secrets and rekindled passion causes fireworks in and out of the bedroom!
Extract
“Take your clothes off.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
Evelyn forced her mouth shut.
She looked around the room, buying time. The faded brown curtains hung limply over the windows, not quite touching, and the afternoon light filtered through the gaps, its beams turning the dust in the air into diamonds. She could hear the rattle of a wagon on the street below and the regular rhythm of squeaking bedsprings in the adjacent room.
“So? What are you waiting for?”
She stared at the man on the moth eaten chaise longue in front of her. He was serious.
“But I thought…” She chewed her lower lip.
“What exactly did you think Mrs Campbell? That I asked you to meet me at the Gem saloon just to talk?”
She swallowed. “I had hoped…that it would be as we agreed, Mr Hamilton.”
“But it is,” he frowned, running a hand through his thick, black hair. “You agreed to meet me here and I agreed to pay you.”
She watched as he stroked his moustache. He examined her form and paused for a moment too long upon her breasts.
She pulled her shawl tighter across her chest and glanced at the door to her left.
“Now, look, Mrs Campbell,” his voice was soft as he straightened his waistcoat, “you are under no obligation. If you want to leave then do so. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve let me down.”
Evelyn’s heart beat quickened at the muttered closing remark.
“No, I…I don’t want to go, Nate”—she shook her head—“Mr Hamilton.”
“Then keep your side of the deal, Mrs Campbell.” He leant farther backwards and lifted one foot, resting it upon his knee.
“Could you lock the door?”
He rolled his eyes. “Do you think that you have anything under those clothes that anyone in this joint hasn’t seen before?”
“I certainly do, Mr Hamilton!” her voice cracked. “No one in this town has seen me…”
He put up a hand and shook his head.
“I didn’t mean your personal attributes. I referred to those of the whores.”
Evelyn’s cheeks burned and she blinked away tears of anger and humiliation, wondering how it had come to this. For years she had imagined meeting Nate again, seeing his handsome face light up as she walked into a room. Instead, here they were. He had offered her money and she had accepted.
He rose and walked over to the door and pushed the bolt across then he sauntered back towards her and stopped right behind her.
“Evelyn,” he whispered into her ear, causing ripples of excitement to course up and down her spine. Her nipples tightened and she felt a tingling beginning between her legs. She fought the urge to turn to look into his eyes.
“Evelyn?”
She struggled to breathe as he placed his hands on her shoulders and the tingling lower down intensified.
He applied a gentle pressure then moved to caress her collar bones. He rubbed his thumbs over the nape of her neck, whilst he stroked his index fingers into the hollow at her throat. She felt the power behind his touch, the heat of his skin.
An awful thought struck her—did he mean her harm?
No. That wasn’t his style. Unless…
“Let me take this.” He tugged at her shawl and she loosened her grip on the russet wool then he returned to his seat and smiled up at her like a satisfied cat.
Raising the shawl to his face, he inhaled deeply. “You still smell good, Evelyn. I didn’t think you would. Why, I don’t know”—he frowned, staring at the shawl—“but your scent still pleases me. Now…” He gestured at her clothing.
Join my Blog Book Tour today for a chance to win some fun stuff!
A gift bag, which includes a seashell keychain (or car mirror hanger if you so choose). Seashells because they are part of my book, in an odd way. If you want to know more, you’ll have to read it. 🙂
Music from Pretty Little Blisters, the band I use for my book trailers. The singer is the husband of one of my best friends I’ve known since second grade!!!
And, for anyone who comments or likes my page, I’ll send you a paperback of my very first novel, written under my pseudonym, Emma Sanders. I took a long break from writing, and you can’t really find this book available anymore. I hope to have it available and republished soon, but you can enter for a chance to win!
Comment for your chance to win a paperback novel that is no longer in print!
