Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Diane Burton

Author Diane Burton hosted me and my latest book release on her blog last month, so I invited her here to share her new book with my readers. Take it away, Diane!

Christmas in August!

Thank you, Nancy, for inviting me to your blog. With temperatures well into triple digits in the U.S.’s southwest, I thought reading about snow and the holidays might help readers cool down. Sort of like the Hallmark Channel that runs Christmas in July specials. Feel good stories. Romances with happy endings.

I live close to Lake Michigan where we get lots of snow. Over 30 feet (not inches, feet) of snow fell our first winter here. It’s so beautiful when the white stuff covers brown lawns and decorates the evergreens. Because I love this area, I set a series of cozy mysteries in a fictitious town (Far Haven) that’s similar to resort towns along Lake Michigan. The Alex O’Hara Novels, feature a female private investigator. Romance Rekindled (a Far Haven Tale) is a spin-off from that series.

Blurb:

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

Excerpt:

Abby stooped to retie the boot laces—although Sam couldn’t figure out why since they were going inside. As she rose, she let loose a round, white ball. Smack into his chest.

For a moment, Sam stood still near the snow-covered lawn, a patch of white decorating his leather jacket. “You know this means war.”

With an evil laugh, he grabbed a handful of snow and packed it well. As he threw it, she dodged. His aim wasn’t far off. The snowball clipped her shoulder.

“Bring it on.” She fired another ball and got his ear, before dodging to the left to avoid his next throw.

They flung a barrage of snowballs at each other. After her last throw that narrowly missed a vulnerable part of his anatomy, he lunged for her and brought her down on the lawn. Her fall was well cushioned by the snow.

“You will pay for that last one,” he said in a falsetto. “I plan to have children someday.”

Lying on the snow-covered lawn, she looked lovely, kissable . . . until she dumped a handful of cold stuff down the back of his neck.

“Someday? You’d better hurry. Someday is about to pass you up. Ooh,” she shrieked as his handful of snow went down the V-neck of her holiday sweater.

With strength that surprised him, she managed to roll him over then sat astride him. “Did you say war? You ain’t seen nothing yet, mister.” With a girlish giggle, she rubbed a handful of snow in his face.

“What are you two doing?” Abby’s mother stood on the front porch, hands on her hips. “Get up before someone sees you acting like children. What will the neighbors say?”

Abby scrambled to her feet then reached down to help him up. “Oh my yes.” She pursed her lips. “What will the neighbors say?”

When he clasped her hand, he noticed the twinkle in her eyes. “Can’t have that.” He scooped her up in a fireman carry and headed for the backyard.

Check out these BUY LINKS:

Amazon     Amazon UK     iBooks

Smashwords     Kobo     Nook

I hope that snowball fight cools our readers off. Again, thanks for inviting me to your blog today. As a special treat, Romance Rekindled (A Far Haven Tale) is on sale for 99 cents through the weekend.

About the Author:

Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction. Besides writing science fiction romance, she writes romantic suspense, and cozy mysteries. Diane and her husband live in West Michigan. They have two children and five grandchildren.

For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s WEBSITE

Connect with Diane Burton online:

BLOG     TWITTER     FACEBOOK

GOODREADS     PINTEREST

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Sign up for Diane’s new release alert HERE

DRY SPELL a Contemporary Romance by Mia London and Susan Sheehey

Title: Dry Spell

Genre: Contemporary Romance  

Release Date:  August 1^st

About Dry Spell: 

She believes in success. He believes in a carefree lifestyle.

Driven and work-obsessed, Samantha Callahan’s specialty is conquering a man’s world. With her next promotion within grasp, the one thing she lacks may be the very thing that gives her the edge she needs. A well-deserved vacation with her best friends may be overdue, but nothing will stand in the way of her success. Not even the gorgeous, unambitious surfer boy next door.

Beach hottie Chase Bradshaw ditched corporate America to follow his dreams of the stress-free salt life. When Sam walks onto his beach, he can practically see the uptight personality oozing from her pores. The woman desperately needs something other than work to keep her up at night. He’s just the man to coax the vixen out of her.

Lucky for her, Chase just happens to surf as well as he sizzles in the bedroom.

Teaser Excerpt:

   Zac’s hands cupped her jaw and caressed her neck as the hunger in his kiss grew. She swung her arms around his torso and let herself be consumed by him. By his passion. His desperation. Her heart thundered. He tunneled his hands between their bodies, breaking the kiss only long enough to whip her top over her head. Without ceremony, he unclasped her bra and sent it flying. He stepped back, out of reach, taking her in. His eyes darkened with lust. Sam basked in his approval. 

   “Take down your hair, Samantha.” The words held a tone of request. She knew everything she did was her choice. She unwound the hair tie holding her braid in place, then. Then finger-combed some of the braid loose. “More. All of it down.” She briefly pinched her brows together, then lifted her arms, and weaving her fingers at her scalp, briskly ruffled her hair loose.

“Perfect. Hold it right there.” Sam swallowed. She stood before him, naked from the waist up, with her hands at the top of her head. His right hand caressed her blonde locks, pulling them forward. Repeating that several times, he watched them fall over her breasts. The back of his hand smoothed over her breast to her nipple. She inhaled. With both hands, he toyed with her nipples, seemingly fascinated by their response . . . peaked and as hard as diamonds. Then he leaned forward and captured one in his mouth. She gasped. His warm mouth felt divine, sucking and lapping at her. He stepped back again to savor her. His voice turned rough with desire. “Samantha, you are a goddess.”

Order Your Copy Today!

Amazon: US | UK | DE | FR | ES | IT | NL | JP | BR | IN | MEX | AUS | CAN

iTunes | B&N | Kobo  

Working together to create Sweet Escape:

Let me tell you how it all started. J

Susan and I were traveling to a book signing 3 hours away for our homes. I was driving, and she’d just closed the lid to her laptop and said, “What a satisfying sound. Who would ever own a tablet when you couldn’t slam the lid shut?”

I agreed, and asked, “But is she slamming the lid because she’d mad or she’s happy? Like she just did something great and her boss was going to be proud.”

And there was the catalyst for the entire series.

As with any writer’s mind, once the creativity flows it’s hard to turn off. We talked, plotted, came up with characters, and plotted some more on the return trip. At one point, I turned to Susan and said, “You know. This needs to be a series.”

We met, texted, chatted and brainstormed. One person would write and the other would in turn edit that section. We flip-flopped like that through the entire 3-book series. We each had areas of expertise that definitely complimented each other, and created a well-rounded series—steamy, entertaining, funny. It was such a fun and rewarding experience! We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

About Mia:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Bookbub

About Susan:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | BookBub | Newsletter

 Enter Mia & Susan’s Giveaway HERE

Nancy Lee Badger Presents Madelyn Hill

Author Madelyn Hill stopped by to share her latest book…in a genre I adore! Tell my readers a little more!

Highland Honor is Book 3 of the Wild Thistle Trilogy and is a Scottish Historical. Lady Honor MacAllister can heal everything but a broken heart.

Blurb:

Lady Honor does not believe in marriage. Her father’s death broke her mother’s spirit and took her from her daughters emotionally well before her own death. When Honor is attacked in the forest, she keeps the event to herself, lest her lairds search for the man and strike him down. As a healer, she’ll do anything it takes not to cause harm. Rumors of attacks in the Highlands forces the lairds to increase guards and security measures. When Bryce Calder is assigned to protect Lady Honor, she fights the burgeoning attraction for the man, knowing she’ll never risk her heart to love.

Warrior Bryce Calder trusts no woman. Women only strive to better themselves through cunning, as his father warned throughout his childhood. When he is asked to escort Lady Honor while she gathers healing herbs, he is vexed. Training the men and protecting the clan are his duties, not following the sharped-tongued lass about the wood. With each passing day, Bryce becomes enchanted by Lady Honor, despite his father’s words, but his unworthiness halts any proclamation of his desire.

An unlikely partnership develops during the frequent trips to the forest and work in the apothecary. The walls each has erected to protect their hearts and their future crumbles. Until a stranger arrives at the keep. Lady Honor’s secret is threatened to be revealed putting in jeopardy the growing romance between the ardent healer and the reluctant warrior-suitor.

Excerpt from Highland Honor

“I didnae mean to make you frightful,” he said as he kept a keen eye out for any trouble. Someone trailed them. Had, since they left the keep. He hadn’t worried, as the best protector for Lady Honor, save Aidan. And he’d cut anyone down who threatened one of their own.

“I’m not afraid,” she blustered without believable conviction.

He resisted the urge to chuckle at her declaration. She still trembled as they slowly headed back toward the keep. “Are you certain you have what you need?” The attacks and the fact they were followed would thwart trips in the future. He’d have to meet with the lairds and to determine a plan to protect the keep.

She stilled and he looked at her. The early morning light glinted in her hair, skimming over her braid as if it were spun with strands of fire and earth. The lady always wore her hair plaited and for one moment, he wished to release it and run his fingers through the tresses. Och, what a fool. The woman, much like the others, just wanting to lead men around and do their bidding. Just as he did her bidding.

Women instilled a weakness in men. A weakness his father had warned him about.

Then her nose wrinkled and he fell into the smattering of freckles. He smiled, then frowned. She was not fetching. She was the laird’s sister and a lady. Not for the likes of him.

“I need ginger.”

“Ginger,” he repeated like an arse as he stared into her green eyes. Eyes flecked with specks of gold. Eyes which pulled him in with their beauty and grabbed him by the cods.

Her brow quirked upward and a quizzical gleam sparkled. “Aye, ginger to soothe Gilla’s stomach. Oh, and mint.”

“Where?” They’d have to hurry and then make haste to the keep. He’d have to inform Aidan of his suspicions so they could increase the guards and send out men to search for the bastard following him and Lady Honor.

“It grows in many places.” She rubbed her brow. “Mayhap we can find some near that willow.” The lady pointed to the west, the opposite direction of the keep.

“Aye. Stay close.” Worry flitted over her face and he regretted speaking so harshly.

She brushed against him, then her cheeks flushed pink. Beneath the sunlight, with the grasses of the glen waving around her, cradling her lush curves, Lady Honor beauty amazed him.

He swore as his blood surged through him like a firestorm. He was a warrior, one who’d need a woman to further his name and warm his bed. Lady Honor was . . . was more than that. And in many ways, just the same as the lasses who sought to control him with their feminine ways.

A bird screeched.

She gazed at him, her eyes wide with worry. Her freckles stood out against her pale skin. He wanted to reach out and cup her cheek. Feel the soft skin, the warmth of her. He fisted his hands so not to follow his urge, an urge which would incense his lairds and certainly Lady Honor.

“This way, Bryce,” Lady Honor said as she moved in front of him. She kept glancing over her shoulder as if she wanted to ensure he continued to guard her.

“I’ll not leave you.”

Buy Link     AMAZON    

More about the Author

Madelyn Hill has always loved the written word. From the time she could read and all through her school years, she'd sneak books into her textbooks during school. And she devoured books daily. At the age of 10 she proclaimed she wanted to be a writer. After being a "closet" writer for several years, she sent her manuscripts out there and is now published with Soul Mate Publishing. And she couldn't be happier!  A resident of Western New York, she moved from one Rochester to another Rochester to be with the love of her life. They are busy with their 3 children and a puppy named Cannoli! They love to cook, go to the movies, and hang out with friends. Connect with Madelyn here:

Website     Facebook      Twitter 

Pinterest     GoodReads 

Amazon Author Page      Instagram 

HEAVEN-SENT WARRIOR - A New Release!

Heaven-sent Warrior, my 24th book, was just released by Soul Mate Publishing and I am proud to say the entire story takes place in the beautiful state of North Carolina.

Book Blurb

Henrí Chevalier's last memory, before stumbling naked into a museum’s moonlit garden, was Auguste Rodin and his dusty Paris studio in 1886. To escape his broken heart, Henrí volunteered to sleep inside a statue until needed. Expecting to die, he discovers he must learn to use the unexpected powers Heaven has given him. Without them he will fail his mission against otherworldly creatures, such as demons and faeries. 

Kenzie Mackintosh, a dedicated art museum's curator, spies a naked man hiding among bronze statues. A quick glance ignites desire within her, but she is too tied-up in work to act on it. Unaware of her Fae heritage, their relationship heats up as he disrupts her job. While Henrí tries to process modern buildings, cars, and a broken elevator, a demon attacks and forces Henrí and Kenzie to enlist the aid of her powerful Fae relatives. When the demon possesses the body of her ex-lover and threatens to kill him, then use her to take over the world, Henrí and Kenzie must learn to trust each other, even if Kenzie’s death might be the only answer to the world’s salvation.

The story begins in the Rodin Garden

at the beautiful 

NC Museum of Art in Raleigh

Here are photos I took during a recent visit:

The Three Shades by Auguste Rodin

The reflecting pool, where demons sleep

A beautiful pond. Did I mention Demons like water?

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon     

Amazon UK  

Amazon CAN  

Amazon NL 

Amazon AUS

Amazon PRINT:  coming soon!

Nancy Lee Badger Presents Children's Author Renée Filippucci-Kotz

Renée Filippucci-Kotz is a local author like me, here in Raleigh, North Carolina. She stopped by to share another new book. Take it away!

Pepper’s Misadventure is the second children’s, chapter book in the Amelia Jae Series.  (AJ’s Wish is the first).  AJ and her mother are driving their new kitty, Pepper, to the veterinarian when they are in a fender bender.  AJ doesn’t listen to her mom and takes Pepper out of her carrier.  Pepper is frightened, jumps out of AJ’s arms and runs away.

Excerpt from Pepper's Misadventure

On the way to Dr. Simon’s office, Mom stopped at a stop sign. As she drove the car through the intersection, a car coming from a side street didn’t stop. Suddenly, there was a screech of tires and then a hard jolt. The car hit them in the side, putting a large dent in the left back door. AJ and Mom were stunned for a moment.

 “Are you hurt? Are you all right?” asked Mom.

“I’m okay, but my heart is pounding, and I’m a little shaky,” said AJ. Her face was pale beneath her freckles.

“Let’s get out while I call the police. Leave Pepper in the car,” said Mom. AJ and Mom got out of the car. Mom went to talk to the driver who hit them and to call the police.

“I’ll just check you out,” said AJ as she slid Pepper’s carrier across the seat. She opened the carrier door and lifted Pepper out. As Mom was talking to the police on the phone, she saw AJ take Pepper out of the carrier.

“Amelia Jae, I told you to leave Pepper in the car. Put her back in there right now,” said Mom. “It’s not safe for her to be out of it.”

“But Mom, I just wanted to make sure she was okay,” said AJ.

“Put her back now, Amelia Jae,” said Mom.

AJ reached for the carrier to put Pepper back in the car. A dog in the back seat of the other car barked loudly. Startled, Pepper jumped out of AJ’s arms. The dog saw Pepper and barked even louder as it scratched at the window. Terrified, Pepper ran.

“Come back, Pepper! cried AJ.

Pepper kept running, even though she stepped on some broken glass in the street and cut her front right paw.

BUY LINKS

Amazon      Books-A-Million

Archway Publishing Bookstore

More About the Author

Renée Filippucci-Kotz was born in New York and grew up in Kentucky. Renée developed a passion for books and animals as a child. Going to the library with her parents and brother was a favorite pastime. She has always loved to read.

Growing up Renée had a vivid imagination.  She loved to make up stories. She would tell stories to the children for whom she babysat and the children at day camp where she was a counselor.

She became interested in writing for children while working with foster children. Her first children’s chapter book, AJ’s Wish, was published in 2016. Her second chapter book in the AJ series, Pepper's Misadventure, published in 2017, received honorable mention in the Carteret Writers Contest. In addition, she has published her first picture book, Booker and the Stinky Smell in 2017.

Renée recently completed her second picture book, Smokey and Clover the Runaway Goat.  To be published later this year.  She is currently working on the third book in the Amelia Jae series, Mystery at Camp Piney Woods.

When not writing, Renée enjoys reading, gardening, traveling, volunteering at her local animal shelter and spending time with her husband and pets. Ms. Filippucci-Kotz lives in North Carolina. Connect with her here:

WEBSITE  FACEBOOK  TWITTER  GOODREADS

...and please check out her other books

AJ’sWish 

Booker and the Stinky Smell