New from Laura Griffin, a really exciting new thriller, Twisted!

• Pocket Star
• April 2012
• ISBN-10: 1451617372

Buy Twisted now!

About the book…

ALLISON DOYLE’S NEW CASE WILL MAKE HER CAREER . . . IF SHE LIVES TO SOLVE IT.

Motive, opportunity, and no alibi—rookie detective Allison Doyle knows it’s as close to a slam dunk as most investigations get. But even though her small-town Texas police department has identified a prime suspect in a young woman’s vicious murder, she can’t rest easy. And when legendary FBI profiler Mark Wolfe shows up with a startling new theory, all her doubts are amplified. If Wolfe is correct, the real killer is an elusive psychopath who has left a trail of bodies behind him. And he’s just days away from his next kill. . . .

Allison was supposed to be Wolfe’s way into the case, nothing more. But she’s ambitious, stubborn, and far too tempting. With the help of her contacts at the Delphi Center crime lab, Wolfe is within striking distance of the monster he’s pursued for ten years. Except the closer Allison and Wolfe get, the more reason there is to fear. Because with a predator this brutal, every thread of evidence can make a difference between hunting a madman—and becoming hunted yourself.

For a limited time, May 1 to September 30 I believe, you can read a free ebook from Vicki Lewis Thompson! This is the “pre” book to her upcoming Sons of Chance series!

Harlequin Blaze
On Sale: May 2012
eISBN: 978-14268-3-417-2

About the book…

Daredevil videographer Langford “Hutch” Hutchinson has put his career on hold to help his widowed father run their family store in Wyoming. He doesn’t mean to stay in town for long—though it’s long enough to rekindle his lust for Trina Bledstone.

Hutch always had a thing for Trina, but she’s his best friend’s sister—and that meant hands off! But Trina she’ll has the power to set his pulse racing—and her brother isn’t around to stop them from exploring their sizzling chemistry this time.

Get your copy of this ebook and more at Harlequin’s site!

UPDATE 5/2/12 :: I contacted Harlequin as the “free” book was still showing as $1.59…which is still a pretty awesome deal! But not “free”. So I heard back today and it is indeed free. So…download your copy now!

Glen Loch, NY

Summer 2012

An affair to remember.

That had been the guarantee that Adair MacPherson had given to Rexie Maitland and her parents when they’d signed the contract to hold their daughter’s wedding and reception at Castle MacPherson.

And she intended to deliver. She had to. There were already two big X marks in the failure column of her life. She didn’t need a third one.

Adair pressed a firm hand to the nerves jittering in her stomach. The first step on her way to her goal, the wedding rehearsal scheduled for today, had gotten off to a rocky start. The high-strung bride had gone into a panic attack when the groom-to-be hadn’t arrived on time. But Adair’s aunt and business partner, Viola MacPherson, had warded off a full meltdown with a cup of herb tea. And the tardy Lawrence Banes, a suave, sort of George Cloo-ney lookalike with a good fifteen years on the bride, had finally arrived, full of apologies.

Pulling off the Maitland/Banes wedding on Saturday was crucial to the launch of her new business plan, one that would establish the reputation of Castle MacPherson as a premier wedding destination in the heart of New York’s Adirondacks. Adair swept her gaze around the garden.

The setting was perfect. The gray stone castle she and her sisters had grown up in stood on a rocky promontory at the far eastern end of Glen Loch Lake. Three stories high and rectangular in shape, it sat tucked between two mountains, boasted spectacular views, and its gardens, thanks to her Aunt Vi, had graced the pages of several gardening magazines.

The Maitland/Banes wedding would take place beneath the stone arch her several-times-great-grandfather Angus One had built for the stolen bride he’d brought here from Scotland. Now the tardy Mr. Banes was standing beneath it flanked by the minister and his best man. The maid of honor and the flower girl had lined up just behind the arbor that marked the entrance to the gardens. The mother of the bride, Bunny Maitland, had taken her seat in the first row of chairs, and just in front of the stone arch, Aunt Vi sat, her bow poised over her cello, ready to play on signal.

Everything was perfect, except that the bride-to-be was holding Adair’s hand in a death grip.

"I don’t know if I can do this," Rexie whispered.

Ignoring her plummeting stomach, Adair took a deep breath and spoke in her calmest voice. "This is only a rehearsal. You have to save those nerves for Saturday."

"I know." Rexie, a pretty twenty-two-year-old blonde and heir to the Maitland fortune, smiled tremulously. "I can’t seem to help it. I need to know that I’m doing the right thing. I have to know that the legend will work."

"It will." The power of the legend and the stones was the one thing in her life that she still had absolute faith in. She might be a bit shaky on her ability to keep this wedding on track, but she had no doubt that the stone arch her ancestor Angus One had built for Eleanor Campbell MacPherson had the power to bring true loves together.

This was the young woman’s second go at matrimony. A little over a year ago, her first husband had left her to return to his family’s horse farm in Montana. Then Rexie had met Lawrence and six months ago, after reading an article on the history of the MacPhersons and the legend in the New York Times, she’d contacted Viola to ask about scheduling her ceremony and reception at the castle because she wanted a guarantee of success this time around.

The Times article had created quite a buzz because it had dug up all the rumors that had circulated over the years about the missing sapphires that Eleanor MacPherson had worn in her wedding portrait. The writer had even reprinted an image of Mary Stuart wearing a similar necklace and earrings at her coronation and posed the theory that Eleanor’s dowry of jewels had been given to her by the Queen of Scots.

Adair could have kissed the Times writer for stirring everything up and giving her the idea for a new business plan.

She took Rexie’s other hand in hers. "You are not going to fail this time."

That was the mantra Adair recited to herself each morning. Not that she’d ever failed at marriage—she hadn’t had the chance. Six months ago she’d come home to Aunt Vi and the castle to lick her wounds, and they were still fresh. The five-year plan she’d so carefully crafted when she’d finished her MBA had gone south. One day she’d been on the fast track, and the next, the company she’d worked for had downsized and derailed her. Her pink slip had been quickly followed by an email from her boyfriend, Baxter DuBois, terminating their personal relationship, as well.

That’s when she’d moved back to the castle. Now with her aunt’s help and the power of Angus One’s stone arch, she was determined to turn her family home into the wedding destination spot in upstate New York.

And the success of Rexie’s wedding was key. Mr. and Mrs. Winston Maitland III resided on Long Island but also owned homes in Boca Raton, Florida, and Vail, Colorado. They had the kind of social contacts that could make the reputation of Castle MacPherson.

Or break it.

"I’ve seen proof of the stones’ power in my own father’s life," Adair said. "He’s kissed two women beneath the stone arch, and if he were here, he’d tell you it was the stones that gave him two chances of finding his true loves. He considers himself a very fortunate man."

Adair held back a little on the details. Her father had taken the loss of her mother so hard that even after he fell in love with Professor Beth Sutherland, it had been a dozen years before he married her. But seven years ago she and her sisters, along with Beth’s three triplet sons, had stood beneath the arch while her father, A.D., and Beth had exchanged vows.

"And your father’s happy?" Rexie asked.

"Yes. There’s real power in the stones. When we were growing up, my sisters and I believed in it so much that we used to write down our dreams and goals and bury them in a metal box beneath some of the loose stones. It was my mother’s old jewelry box so it had three different compartments and we all used different colors of paper."

She’d nearly forgotten about that box, Adair realized. On the night of her father’s wedding, she’d even written down a particularly erotic fantasy involving Cam Sutherland and buried that, too. She hadn’t thought of it in years. And she hadn’t seen Cam or his brothers since the wedding. They’d been finishing college that year and each had been focused on career plans that kept them very busy. Last she’d heard, Cam was working overseas for the CIA. For an instant his image flashed brightly into her mind and she could see him just as he’d looked that day—the dark, unruly hair, the blue eyes that had always held a dare.

And Cam Sutherland was the last thing she needed to be thinking about right now. If she didn’t get this wedding rehearsal on track, an "affair to remember" was going to take on a whole new, horrible meaning.

She focused on the hint of panic in Rexie’s eyes. And a solution suddenly occurred to her. "Look, why don’t we tap into the power of the legend right now?"

"How?"

"This is just a rehearsal and you won’t actually say your vows, but why don’t you kiss Lawrence? If you do that today while you’re beneath the stone arch, then you should be all set. In the legend, it’s the kiss that does the trick."

"Really?" Rexie shifted her gaze to where her groom-to-be waited. He was on his cell phone.

"It’s guaranteed," Adair assured her. "Why don’t we start? Everyone is in place."

"Except for my father," Rexie said, her lip trembling. "He’s taking another call on his cell."

"Mr. Maitland?" Adair spoke in a low tone, but she kept Rexie’s hand firmly gripped in hers.

The bride-to-be’s father held up one finger, but he never stopped talking into his phone. Winston Maitland, a tall stocky man with thinning gray hair, had pretty much had his cell glued to his ear since he’d arrived. So had the groom-to-be for that matter. The jerks. Adair wanted to shake both of them.

That was when she heard it…read more.

• Harlequin Blaze
• Jun 1, 2012
• ISBN: 0373796951
• Miniseries: Forbidden Fantasies

Order No Risk Refused now! Or download the ebook at Harlequin!

About the Book

From Newly Wedded magazine: "This castle in upstate New York is the stuff of fantasies! And a kiss under the arch might make your love–or lust–last forever…"

Indulging a family request, CIA agent Cam Sutherland has returned to Castle MacPherson for the first time in years to investigate a decades-old theft. But more importantly, it’s the place where–in a brief moment–Cam very nearly lost his heart and soul to wedding planner Adair MacPherson.

And Adair is still as bewitching as ever. When Cam finds a seven-year-old erotic story written by her–and starring him–his blood damn near boils over. The only solution? To prove to Adair that fantasies are best made into realities…and the best magic happens between the sheets!

WRR NOTE: Did you notice the review quote on the cover? Cool, isn’t it!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I haven’t read the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, yet. So, of course, I haven’t read this one either. Have you? The reviews are still mixed, but certainly more positive. They do tend to say the book is “darker” on many levels. They mention it feels episodic.

Buy Fifty Shades Darker now!

About the book…

• Vintage
• April 17, 2012
• ISBN-10: 0345803493

Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. 

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

Okay, so am I alone in having not read these books? The reviews are so mixed I’ve not had the urge to read them. Seriously, with 400+ 1 star reviews I’m not sure it’s the book for me. With reviews like RiverinaRomantics, “OK, I couldn’t finish this book. I tried, holy hell did I try – but by 88% I was so annoyed I had to put it down.” And a lot more “couldn’t finish” comments, I was afraid of wasting the money. Have you read it yet?

Ready to buy your copy of Fifty Shades of Grey now?

About the book…

• Vintage
• April 3, 2012
• ISBN-10: 0345803485

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

Sable Hunter’s Hell Yeah! series continues with the installment of Badass. Based on the McCoy men and set in Texas, the reviews for the series are mixed. A variety of readers ranked the book 2-5 stars on Amazon. Kathy L. said, “I am truly impressed with Sable. This series gets better and better with each book. She has outdone her self again with Isaac’s story.”

Download your copy of Badass now!

Book Description:

Isaac McCoy is every woman’s dream. He’s a cowboy, one of the Texas McCoy’s of Tebow Ranch – tall, dark, handsome and sexy as hell. To add to the mystery, he’s a biker – clad in black leather, riding a big Harley – he makes the girls swoon. To put it simply, Isaac is the black sheep of the family. And what his family doesn’t know is that he’s also a Dom. Always a little different from his brothers –Isaac has been into fast cars, fast women – and the kinkier side of sex. Until Avery. That’s right’s the Texas Badass has fallen for the angel of Kerrville County – the Baptist Preacher’s daughter – Miss Prim and Proper. And that will never do. As much as he wants her, Isaac pushes her away – sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

Avery has been in love with Isaac for years and she’s ready to make her move. But Isaac makes it clear that they come from different worlds, there’s no way she can fit in to his life. She’s not the kind of woman he needs. So, Avery decides to take matters into her own hands. What she intends to do is take lessons in how to be a bad girl. Avery is determined to learn what it takes to please Isaac in every way. She’s seriously after her Badass – and soon, he’s not going to know what hit him.

“…well written, intense romance, that is fast-paced…”

Reviewed by Heather R.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

While I don’t believe I’ve read one of Ms. Walker’s books I haven’t enjoyed, The Devil and Miss Jones drew me in from page one, made me fall for the characters, and I can honestly say I thoroughly loved every word!

I felt drawn to Miss Jones’s plight from the beginning. And it was most exciting when el Diablo a/k/a Carlos Ortega rode to her rescue—the dark knight saving the lady in white. Both characters have their own trust issues and are working through personal trauma, but when together the two set the page on fire. The Devil and Miss Jones is a very well written, intense romance, that is fast-paced enough to keep the story going but not so much that you can’t catch your breath. An awesome read for the rainy days of Spring!

Buy The Devil and Miss Jones today!

Freebie Friday’s are back! If you haven’t checked out this cool deal from Harlequin, it is certainly worth your while….

Current Deal:

Buy 2 books or more and get our weekly featured book absolutely FREE!

Your FREE book will be added to your cart automatically.

This week’s featured book is:

The Costarella Conquest

• Emma Darcy
• Harlequin Presents
• October 2011 Paperback
• ISBN: 9780373130177 (#3017)

Description:

Jake Freedman is biding his time before exacting vengeance on the man who destroyed his family. And if a blind date with Costarella’s daughter will keep his bitterest enemy sweet, Jake will don his bespoke Italian suit and mask his cynicism with a killer smile.…
Jake’s practiced touch hooks the innocent Laura Costarella into a dangerous affair. But the treacherously tempting Laura is the only conquest Jake’s ever desired more than the ruination of the Costarellas.
It seems that, in this case, revenge is a dish best served red-hot!

Start Shopping Now!

Book Details:

• Pocket Star, March 2012
• Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages
• ISBN-10: 1439175470
• ISBN-13: 9781439175477

Buy The Seduction of Lady X now!

Book Description:

The surprising news that dashing steward Harrison Tolly, illegitimate son of the Earl of Ashwood, is the rightful heir to his father’s estate comes at a most inopportune time. With a wedding on the horizon and a baby on the way, a new life of privilege and prestige would be a blessing but for one problem: his heart belongs to another woman.

Harrison keeps his desires for his employer’s wife, Lady Olivia Carey, so hidden that even she does not know of his devotion. Her callous husband, Marquis Carey, went into a rampage after Olivia’s troublesome younger sister returned from her tour of Spain pregnant, and Harrison impulsively stepped in to save the entire family from scandal. Now, like Olivia, he is trapped in a loveless arrangement. When a tragic accident claims the marquis’ life soon thereafter, can Harrison seize his chance and cast aside one sister for another? Or will doing so expose the Carey family’s darkest secret—and ruin his only chance to win Olivia’s heart?