Tasty Guest Post & Giveaway: Melting the Ice Queen's Heart by Amy Ruttan

The heroine in MELTING THE ICE QUEEN’S HEART is quite simply, an Ice Queen. 

Dr. Virginia Potter grew up in poverty and worked very hard to be where she is. To become Chief of Surgery at a young age takes a lot of dedication, but her upbringing and work didn’t harden her heart.

A loss of a loved one did that.

So Virginia has a hard time opening up to people. She likes rules. She likes order and regulation, but her only companion lately has been a cactus.

She’s awkward around children and never thought she wanted any for herself. In fact she was positive she didn’t after what happened to her sister.

When I was writing Virginia I pictured Colbie Smulders from How I Met Your Mother. So I was enormously pleased when the cover for the book came through and the woman on the front was a smack almost dead on image for how I pictured Dr. Potter.

Virginia was raised in a large family, in a trailer on the outskirts of De Smet, South Dakota. Though they didn’t have much, her parents gave her a good work ethic and she was loved.

After her sister died though from something that could’ve easily have been prevented had she been able to afford the health care she need, Virginia hardened her heart and worked hard to give back to people.

Though, her job is not easy when a board of directors threatens to take away the pro bono and shut down the trauma unit to make more money in the field of plastics. Virginia’s world is shattering and she’s angry with herself for being caught in a place that won’t help the people she really wants to help.

Dr. Gavin Brice frustrates her as well, because he bucks all the rules in his carefree way.

Maybe he’s exactly what the doctor ordered for her. 

Blurb:
It started with a kiss… 

Having left his humanitarian posting in Africa to raise his two orphaned nieces in San Francisco, Dr. Gavin Brice has enough on his plate without an inconvenient attraction to his new boss! The frosty Dr. Virginia Potter clearly disapproves of his maverick ways - but with one amazing kiss, the ice begins to thaw….

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Author Info

Born and raised on the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, Amy fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. When she's not furiously typing away at her computer, she's a mom to three wonderful children.

Life got in the way, and after the birth of her second child, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a romance author.

You can find out more about Amy at her website.

Author Links

Website: www.amyruttan.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ruttanamy

Blog: http://amyruttan.blogspot.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.ruttan.3

Harlequin Author Link: http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=2462
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Giveaway & Tasty Blurb Tour: The Migraine Mafia by Maia Sepp

On paper, Viive McBroome lives the perfect life—a key player in a fast-paced, technical field, one promotion away from real success—but that’s only if you ignore one little problem.

Sandwiched between one migraine and the next, Viive’s life is like those choose-your-own-adventure books you read as a kid, only less fun and with a lot more drugs. And lately, as her bosses politely march her toward a vacation that might never end, even the good days seem like a struggle for survival.

Faced with frustration from her loved ones and the dark machinations of a new coworker, Viive feels herself getting pulled under by guilt, apologies, and workplace shenanigans. But then she meets the Migraine Mafia, a quirky, vibrant support group, and her fragile camouflage begins to crumble. She discovers that a room full of strangers just might be able to change the way she views her illness—and realizes that if she doesn’t learn to ask for help, her health isn’t the only thing she stands to lose.

Sometimes painful, frequently hilarious, never dull, The Migraine Mafia is the story of one woman’s life-altering decision to thrive in the face of chronic illness.

***

Author Info

Maia left the tech sector to write about sock thievery, migraines, and...the tech sector. She lives on the Danforth in Toronto with her better half, John.

The Sock Wars is her debut novel. The first chapter of The Sock Wars was published as a short story/novel excerpt titled Irish Drinking Socks, and became a Kobo bestselling short story. The Sock Wars has been a top-100 digital bestseller on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore, as well as a genre and Writing Life bestseller on Kobo.

Maia's next novel will be released in December 2013: The Migraine Mafia, a story about a nerdy thirtysomething's quest to come to terms with a chronic illness.

Author Links

http://www.maiasepp.com/main.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maia-Sepp-Author-of-The-Sock-Wars/408204399216568

https://twitter.com/MaiaSepp/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807321.Maia_Sepp




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Giveaway & Tasty Tour: Emotionally Compromised By: A. Rosa

"A smile will get you far, but a smile and a gun will get you farther" -Al Capone.

Federal Agent Alex Turner deals better with guns than boyfriends, and prefers it that way. Her emotional range is bleak, but her aim is damn near perfect.

Thinking saving the world is a far easier task than dating, Agent Turner springs at the opportunity to prevent young scientist Marcus Gibbs from selling his biological weapon to the highest bidder. With her goal in sight, and Marcus eating out of the palm of her hand, an obstacle she doesn't see coming interferes. Meet Jeremy Hunt -- the distractingly handsome CEO of Sunscape Biotechnologies, and Marcus's boss and best friend.

A man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, Jeremy's never been one to take no for an answer, which has Agent Turner realizing for the first time that her wit might get her farther than her weapon. With no protocol or training to reference when it comes to matters of the heart, she worries that this might be her hardest assignment yet.

The car pulls away, and I am alone with Jeremy, who is now standing right next to me.

I stare into the distance, not wanting to make eye contact even though I know he's staring at me. I bob back and forth on my heels, waiting for a cab, wishing for this moment to be over. He scoffs next to me, and I still don't budge.

As if he can't take it, he says, "Really?"

The statement almost offends me. I turn to look at him, and it is a blatant mistake. He stands with hands in his pockets in a nonchalant sort of pose. My mouth starts watering. Focus.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"You're kidding right now, right? That stunt you just pulled with Marcus. Is this all because I grabbed your ass?" He is coming dangerously close to being crude, and I decide to get right to the point.

"Is this because I offered him my number, and not you?"

His mouth forms a hard line, and he is all tough CEO, but I am no mouse and I stare right back. After a moment, he is trying to hold back his smile.

"Maybe it is." He pouts.

When Jeremy pouts, it's a remarkable sight. I gulp over my last thought.

"Well, I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not," I say.

As if dumbfounded, he continues, "Why Marcus? Why him? He's been a drunk slob all night!"

Is he really putting down his friend? I wonder if talking about his friends this way is a habit.

I turn to look away because I can't think of a logical response. He knows I am attracted to him, and I will not let him take advantage of that fact. I can tell he thinks it's funny that I am giving him the silent treatment, and it annoys me. He riles me up!

He leans in somewhat close, and in a mocking tone, he says, "Is it these blue eyes? Are they too much for you?"

Before I can stop it, a laugh erupts from my mouth, and I look at him and roll my eyes.

"Mr. Hunt, you are definitely not used to not getting what you want, and it almost pleases me that I can affect you so."

He bites his lip, nodding his head as he looks away.

"You're toying with me."

Maybe I am.

A. Rosa lives in San Diego, California. When she isn’t scouring city parks or cafe’s to write she is more than likely trying to convince her friends to join her on her next adventure. A sufferer of wanderlust, she is always looking for a new mountain to climb, a canyon to hike, or a plane to board. Her resume consists of coroner, to working at a zoo, and most recently as an executive assistant, but finds her home amongst words, whether it be in books, or in film. Her obsessions are on the brink of bizarre, but that’s just the way she likes it. 

Author Links

www.authorarosa.com

https://www.facebook.com/author.arosa

https://twitter.com/_pink_dandelion

https://www.goodreads.com/pink_dandelion

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Tasty Spotlight: Love Waltzes In by Alana Albertson

To her millions of fans, ballroom champion Selena Marcil seems to have the perfect life: a great dance partner, a hit reality show, and celebrity perks. But underneath the glamorous ball gowns, Selena longs to find someone to share her life with when the stage lights dim.

Selena’s childhood sweetheart, Bret Lord, hung up his dance shoes after winning two national titles with her as a teenager, and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He never saw his former fiancée again, except on television and on the cover of men’s magazines. Ten years and three deployments later, Bret gets an offer to audition for Selena’s dance show. When the Marine Corps gives him temporary leave to appear on the series, Bret can’t refuse the quick cash that will enable him to provide financially for the widow of his buddy, even if it does mean coming face to face with his past.

When Bret shows up at her national championship, Selena is shocked. For years she searched for him to no avail. After spending time with Bret, Selena realizes despite their past romance, they have no future. He has no desire to live under a spotlight and she has no desire to leave it. Can Selena and Bret recognize when Love Waltzes In? 

***

Staff Sergeant Bret Lord sat on the dirty floor of his tent, going through the day’s mail: the latest Men’s Fitness magazine from his sister, a care package from his mom. He ripped open the package—socks, lip balm, sunflower seeds, and a thin letter that contained an old magazine clipping.

Dear Bret,

I miss you very much. Benny asked me to send you this article. I really wish you would consider his offer. Please stay safe.

Love, Mom

He swallowed hard. A neon sticky pressed on the wrinkled page had a note scrawled on it from his former master dance coach.

Bret, m’boy,

We’ll make it worth your time.

Cheers, Benny.

Thumbing the edge of the article, Bret stared at the sixteen-year-old boy in the picture and could barely recognize himself. His shoulder length, wavy blond hair was slicked back, not shorn in a “high and tight” like his current haircut. No signs of the tattoos or muscles that currently defined his body. Golden skin stained from a bottle, not the harsh sun of Iraq. His arms were wrapped around a gorgeous, curvy young girl with long jet-black hair. The jade Latin gown she wore matched the color of her almond-shaped eyes.

Bret tossed the article aside and removed his nine-mil pistol from his holster to clean it.

Lance Corporal Hernandez walked by Bret and snatched the article off his cot. After staring at it, Hernandez’s face brightened.

“Hey, Staff Sergeant, this you?”

“No, it’s my clone who’s also named Bret Lord.” Bret slid the rail back on his weapon and began disassembling it.

“Staff Sergeant, you know Selena Marcil? Did you hit that?”

“Shut up, Hernandez, or the one getting hit will be you—with the butt stock of my rifle.” Bret grabbed the paper out of Hernandez’s hands, and smacked him on the side of the head. The kid didn’t flinch.

“Staff Sergeant Twinkle Toes. Hey—can you hook me up with Selena? I’ll be her boy toy. I love her. Man, she’s smoking. Has the nicest ass. Not like all those skinny, Russian chicks on that show.” He nodded to himself with an eyebrow dancing. “Selena’s on my list. She’s Latina, too. We’d be perfect together. What was she doing with a gringo like you?”

“Hernandez, you’re way out of line.” Bret reassembled his pistol.

“My bad, Staff Sergeant.”

Bret grabbed the article, his pack, and his rifle. It was impossible to get some privacy in the tent. His only option was to sit outside in a sandstorm but even that sounded like a welcome retreat from his immature men. He walked about five hundred feet, then plopped down in the hot sand.

The red sky hung above him, thick from smoke from the nearby town. Bret struggled to catch a glimpse of the distant mountains. Sand seemed to pelt down from the heavens, blinding him and settling into every crevice in his body. He closed his eyes against the sting of the sand, and turned his thoughts to Selena. Was she the diva the tabloids made her out to be? Even after ten years, he could almost smell her buttery-coconut scent. A welcome change from the overflowing shitters, toxic diesel, and stench of his fellow Marines who hadn’t bathed in three weeks. 

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B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-waltzes-in-alana-albertson/1116093304?ean=2940148739807&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-bdFl5aS*Iag-_-10:1&r=1

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/love-waltzes-in/id681697547?mt=11

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Author Info

Alana Albertson is the former President of both Romance Writers of Americas’s Young Adult and  Chick Lit chapters and the founder of Academe Advantage, a college admissions & test preparation company. Alana Albertson holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, Alana currently writes contemporary romance and young adult fiction. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and four dogs. When she’s not spending her time needlepointing, dancing, or saving dogs from high kill shelters through  Pugs N Roses, the rescue she founded, she can be found watching episodes of House Hunters, Homeland, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.

Author Links

http://www.alanaalbertson.com/waltz-like-a-man/

https://twitter.com/AlanaAlbertson

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlanaAlbertson

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7189293.Alana_Albertson

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Tasty Spotlight and Giveaway: Texas Tango by Cynthia D'Alba

Their wedding might be fake, but there’s no faking the mutual attraction.

Dr. Caroline Graham is happy with her nomadic lifestyle fulfilling short-term medical contracts. No emotional commitments, no disappointments. She’s always the one to walk away, never the one left behind.

But now her great-uncle is gone and her grandmother is on her deathbed, more concerned about Caroline’s lack of a husband than her own demise. What’s the harm in a little white lie? If a wedding will give her grandmother peace, then a wedding she shall have.

Travis Montgomery has one dream left—to build the ranch he and his wife planned before he lost her to cancer. There’s just one thing standing between him and the last bit of acreage he needs—a last living heir who has one traveling foot out the door…and an unusual request that challenges his determination to never again place his heart at risk.

The land he wants in exchange for a faux marriage. Everyone wins. Until things start to snowball…and the hearts they stand to lose are their own.

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Author Info

Cynthia D’Alba started writing on a challenge from her husband in 2006 and discovered having imaginary sex with lots of hunky men was fun.  Her first book, Texas Two Step, released in 2012 to outstanding reviews, was a Samhain Publishing best seller.  The second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series, Texas Tango, will be released by Samhain Publishing in November 2013.  In February, 2014, Texas Fandango, a Novella in the Texas Montgomery Series will be released by Samhain Publishing.   She is currently at work on book 3 of the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series (Texas Twist).

 She has stories in two anthologies released this year…Smoking Hot Firemen (Something’s Burning) in July 2013 and the Mammoth Book of Medical Romance (Wake Me When It’s Over) in September 2013. She’ll have a story in Cowboy Heat (Back Stage Pass) coming in 2014.  She holds a Bachelor Degree in Nursing, a Master Degree in Business Administration, a Master Degree Curriculum and Instruction and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration.

 She loves to chat online with friends and fans. You can find her most days at www.cynthiadalba.com or www.everybodyneedsalittleromance.com.

 Follow her at www.facebook.com/AuthorCynthiaDAlba, 

www.twitter.com/CynthiaDAlba, or email her at cynthia@cynthiadalba.com

  

Author Links

web - http://cynthiadalba.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CynthiaDAlba

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5326924.Cynthia_D_Alba

Group Blog - http://everybodyneedsalittleromance.com/

Personal Blog- http://cynthiadalba.wordpress.com/

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Tasty Review & Giveaway: The Shadow of Mudflap by Christi Snow & M.F. Smith

To us, first responders are heroes. But for them, risking their lives is a normal, everyday thing.

Mudflap:

Born the baby of the family, Mudflap has always had something to prove to emerge out of the shadows of his older siblings. He spent eight years as a Special Ops elite sniper and is now a firefighter. But at his heart, he’s just a normal West Texas good old boy who loves his beer, women and football, until the Department of Defense calls him up to say they need his skills again.

Shanae:

Shanae is a first responder of a different sort. She’s a trauma nurse who works on a medical evacuation helicopter team. But while she lives a life full of adrenaline every day, it’s just a cover for her real life, where she hides in the shadows and is secret agent, Shadowfox for the Lubbock Foxtrot Team (LiFT). She’s living the kind of life that most people think exists only in movies and books.

Working for two different branches of the government, Mudflap and Shanae are in a race against time and the terrorists who threaten the very heart of West Texas life, football. They’re working toward the same goal, but find themselves in a confrontation against each other and the lies they’ve each had to hide behind. Can love win out in the end or will the cost be each other and their very lives?

First responders are heroes every day, but this story tells the tale of when they become even more and find love along the way. The key is for them to stay alive so that they can complete their mission and just maybe live happily ever after.

On an ordinary day, they save lives. On an extraordinary day, they save the country.

***MY REVIEW***
This is a cute book. The "halftime texting", the jokes between Mudflap and Shanae. The Texans and their fanatism about college football... I'm from Oklahoma, where it's the same. OSU vs OU. So I got a chuckle out that too.

The hero is a nice guy--not an Alpha butt wipe. I like this. He doesn't have to establish dominance constantly--not that he could dominate this heroine anyway.

Shanae is a ball-buster. She takes no grief from anyone. She carries weapons on her person even at the golf course. She sees what she wants and she takes it. And oh! She rides a motorcycle!

These two connect and end up undercover for different secret branches and the mystery all connects somehow to college football. That's all I'll say about that.

It's an enjoyable, very fast paced read. My only quibbles are that, one, Shanae and Mudflap were ready to get into each other's pants WAY too fast, like mere hours after meeting. That was a bit crazy. I mean, I could see it if those few hours were spent in deep discussion and getting-to-know-each-otherness, but it wasn't. Two, the thing with the coins was kind of confusing to me. I'm still not sure I completely understand.

But this was a nice start to what promises to be a good series for those who like romantic suspense with a dash of humor.

Favorite part:

Slowly and methodically  she set her coffee cup down and then lunged at him, pressing her knife below his crotch. He never had a chance to react. He really should have remembered that waking her up was never a good thing.

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Author Info

Christi Snow

As an avid reader her entire life, Christi Snow always dreamed of writing books that brought to others the kind of joy she felt when she read. But...she never did anything about it besides jot down a few ideas and sparse scenes.

When she turned 41, she decided it was time to go after her dream and started writing. Within four months, she'd written over 150,000 words and hasn't stopped since.

She's found her calling by writing about sexy, alpha heroes and smart, tough heroines falling in love and finding their passion. She's truly living the dream and loving every minute of it.

Her tagline is... Passion and adventure on the road to Happily Ever After. She's loving this adventure!

www.christi-snow.com

http://smittenwithreading.blogspot.com (book review blog)

https://www.facebook.com/christisnowauthor?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/ChristiSnow

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5849322.Christi_Snow

M.F. Smith

Mudflap is a morning show personality for 96.3 KLLL in Lubbock, TX. He’s been on the morning show for seven years and in radio for over ten years. He’s entertained people all over the world, and has helped raise money for many non-profit agencies and charities.

Mudflap loves to see people smile and believes everyone deserves a hug.

KLLL radio station website


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Tasty Review & Giveaway: The Unraveling of Lady Fury by Shehanne Moore

 Genoa 1820

Rule One: There will be no kissing. Rule two: You will be fully clothed at all times…

Widowed Lady Fury Shelton hasn’t lost everything—yet. As long as she produces the heir to the Beaumont dukedom, she just might be able to keep her position. And her secrets. But when the callously irresistible Captain James “Flint” Blackmoore sails back into her life, Lady Fury panics. She must find a way to protect herself—and her future—from the man she’d rather see rotting in hell than sleeping in her bed. If she must bed him to keep her secrets, so be it. But she doesn’t have to like it. A set of firm rules for the bedroom will ensure that nothing goes awry. Because above all else, she must stop herself from wanting the one thing that Flint can never give her. His heart.

Ex-privateer Flint Blackmoore has never been good at following the rules. Now, once again embroiled in a situation with the aptly named Lady Fury, he has no idea why he doesn’t simply do the wise thing and walk away. He knows he’s playing with fire, and that getting involved with her again is more dangerous than anything on the high seas. But he can’t understand why she’s so determined to hate him. He isn’t sure if the secret she keeps will make things harder—or easier—for him, but as the battle in the bedroom heats up, he knows at least one thing. Those silly rules of hers will have to go…

***MY REVIEW***
I liked some, I didn't like some. I absolutely loved the subtle and surprising LOL moments. The banter between the hero and heroine was downright hilarious at times.

"Forced intimacy is very difficult. Your face is getting in the way of the ceiling--"

"My face?"

"--which is what I wish to look at..."

You know from the blurb that this woman needs an heir and stat. Seems her husband is dead in the cellar and she's going to be flat-broke and on the streets if it's known she doesn't have a bun in the oven. MIL's terms.

That's the second thing I loved: this entire premise. Woman with dead husband, needs to conceive an heir, a little black book to blackmail folks, and a man at her beck and call. 

"Afterward--rule six--you will remove yourself in all respects and wait until, rule seven, you are summoned again."

And the rules: no touching, no kissing...because she feels that if she prevents herself from enjoying sex, she won't fall for him...again, cause it seems there's a history here.

And here is my quibble: The story kept referring to things in the past, a prior story. It was confusing at first, like a sequel attempting to tell us about book one, but not done well. I even went so far as to go look for book one, feeling as though I'd missed something. Perhaps a prequel should have been released. It would have knocked about 40k of this and would have set the scene. Cause too often I felt like I was reading a sequel--and it couldn't stand alone. The whole past story: her taking another woman's identity, getting ravished on a ship, falling in love, meeting and marrying someone--that's an entire novel.

Lastly, I couldn't make sense of some of the sentences. Sometimes--both dialogue and narrative, didn't matter which--I had to read passages over and over again and still couldn't figure out what they were talking about (if it was dialogue) or what the sentence was saying (narrative). Not sure what happened here. I THINK some of it could be cleaned up with different punctuation.

...just like the day he had flung that trunk on her on the quay, nipping his--if he'd had a heart, that trunk would be on the Calypso.

There were many more passages. I had to reread them and the paragraphs around them to figure out what the narrative was trying to tell me. 

But the premise is terrific.

Author Info

Shehanne Moore is a Scottish author, who writes gritty, witty, as much risky as risqué, historical romance, set wherever takes her fancy. Stories that detail the best and worst of human behaviour, as opposed to pouts and flounces. For years she worked at various things, while pursuing her dream of becoming a published writer, so she was gobsmacked to sell her book, The Unraveling of Lady Fury, written in three months,  to U.S. publishers, Etopia Press,  six days after subbing it.

Shehanne still lives in Scotland,  with her husband Mr Shey. She has two daughters. When not writing intriguing historical romance, where goals and desires of sassy, unconventional heroines and ruthless men, mean worlds do collide, she fantasizes about cleaning the house, plays the odd musical instrument and loves what in any other country, would not be defined, as hill-walking. Her second book featuring a hottie scottie, His Judas Bride was recently released.

Author Links

http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/

http://pinterest.com/shehanne/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shehanne-Moore/163736780417433

https://twitter.com/ShehanneMoore

http://furiousunravelings.wordpress.com/

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Tasty Review & Giveaway: Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir By: Eliza Watson

Event planner Samantha Hunter is prepared for a few challenges when escorting a group of good ole boy beer distributors to Paris, the city of haute cuisine and fine wines. However, she doesn’t foresee being passed up for a promotion because she is too professional and doesn’t knock back beers with her clients. Her focus soon switches from landing the well-deserved promotion to finding her free-spirited sister, who lives in Paris and has disappeared, leaving behind family secrets to be uncovered. A sexy puppeteer helps Samantha search for clues to her sister’s whereabouts and teaches her to embrace her inner child. And a funeral-crashing psychic demonstrates the importance of living life to the fullest. It takes Samantha’s life spiraling out of control for her to finally get a life.

****My Review****
Loved this book!!!!!!!!!! I cannot say enough wonderful things about it. 

First of all, love the heroine. She's strong, courageous, doesn't let people walk all over her (except her sister, kinda), and stands up for her rights in a male-dominated profession. She's been passed over for a much-deserved promotion. 


"If you at least partied, then being a woman in a good ole boy company wouldn't be such a major strike against you."

She lost the job for being "too professional".

She doesn't cry. She doesn't bow her head and just complete her assignment in Paris. She fights back. She quits, makes demands, and leaves the company to realize how badly they need her. She becomes a silent advocate for women fighting for equality in the workplace everywhere. She has a FB page. This is just so much fun and incredible! I love that this story addressed such a major issue. This isn't one of those stories in which a woman just sits around waiting for a man to rescue her and make her life worth living. Pfffht.

When her longtime boyfriend proposes, she says, "I've wasted three years on you. Sure as hell not wasting a great bottle of wine."

While all that's going on, secrets are being revealed in Paris. Her sister's lifestyle--there's more going on than meets the eye. Her long lost father...is...I'm not saying anything. A mystery develops and Samantha ends up running all over Paris looking for her sister and trying to find out who fathered her niece. There's a passionate affair with a sexy puppeteer, former chef...that may come to a screeching halt when yet another secret is revealed.

This book has it ALL: mystery, mayhem, drama, secrets, sex, love, passion, finding oneself, travel, and a strong woman at the helm.

I cannot wait for the author's next one. I'm frothing here.

Favorite part:
"When will I be ready? When I have a sex change? I'm not the right man for the job, Roger I'm the right woman for the job. Women make up twenty-five percent of the beer market. You're missing out on one of the biggest demographics. Stop turning them off from Brecker with sexist marketing campaigns. You work hard not to offend ethnic groups, so why do you want to offend women?"

About the Author:

Eliza’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie's Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn't an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

When she’s not traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Wisconsin working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley and Frankie.

Author Links

www.elizawatson.com

http://www.goodreads.com/ElizaWatson

https://www.facebook.com/ElizaWatsonAuthor

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Tasty Giveaway & Spotlight: Desert Exposure by Robena Grant

She follows her gut—he follows the rules.

Rachel Copeland’s fearless spirit makes life an adventure. Yet when her grandfather goes missing, she finds herself embroiled in an undercover sting operation with a by-the-book detective. Their partnership should be a disaster, but the spark between them is far from boring.

Detective Michael Delaney is hot on the trail of a drug kingpin, and fears Rachel’s grandfather may be involved somehow. That doesn’t mean he’s ready to accept Rachel’s help, though. Despite her sharp intuition, she’s an ordinary citizen and he shouldn’t risk her safety. But as they work together, his respect for her grows…and so does his attraction.

Stolen cameras, a criminal seeking revenge, a cabin at the Salton Sea, and one fluffy white dog make for a complicated case. Can Michael find Rachel’s grandfather and solve the case in time? Or will Rachel’s impulsive spirit get them both killed?

 Excerpt

"Oh, dear God--"

Rachel didn't look back. If she was about to die, she didn't want to see the bullet coming. Another burst of gunfire sounded. A bullet lodged in a tree trunk above her head. She squashed the backpack against her chest, keeping Ralph in place, and pumped her legs hard to get over the slight rise.

Once down the other side, she darted through a field of date palms and got to the old truck, which she'd parked off the main drag. Opening the truck door, she slid into the seat and shoved the key into the ignition. With a quick gasp for air she tossed the backpack onto the floor of the truck. Slick with sweat and trembling with fear, her fingers shook as she turned the key in Grandpa's old truck.

"Please start. Please start." It leaped into action. She yanked on the zipper of the windbreaker, and let Ralph out onto the seat. He ran to the open window and barked.

"Shh, Ralph," she whispered. "Good boy. Lie down."

There was no sign, or sound, of movement. She pressed the accelerator hard. The truck roared across the unsealed track, and out from under the cover of tall date palms like a raging bull released from a rodeo pen. She headed for the highway and toward the safety of Grandpa's cabin.

"Oh, hell, oh, hell...oh, hell," she said, and tried to slow her panic.

The empty camera case still hung around her neck and it bumped against her chest. Pulling the strap over her head with one hand, she gripped tight to the steering wheel with the other, and then shoved the case on top of the backpack.

I risked my life for a freakin' camera?

Author Info

Robena Grant writes contemporary romance about ordinary women who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Travel and discovering new places brings her great pleasure, and she often includes travel locations in her stories. She is Australian by birth, and now lives in Southern California. Robena may be contacted at: www.robenagrant.com where she blogs weekly, or follow her on Twitter and Facebook

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