HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION BLOG HOP

Welcome to the How I Spent My Summer Vacation Blog Hop.

GRAND GIVEAWAY  "SPONSERED BY CHRISTINA COLE ROMANCE" IS A 50.00 AMAZON GIFT CARD. RAFFLECOPTER AT THE END OF MY POST.

My Trip to Paradise

My favorite time of year is late spring and early summer. There’s something about the longer days and blossoming flowers that brings me out of the winter funk. This year my husband and I planned a trip to Florida. Since we made it through one of the worse winters of all time, we needed a break. I had been through a scare with my health and completed a long recovery. I’m doing great now and grateful to have made a full recovery.

Our trip was amazing. The sunshine along the streets lined with majestic palms uplifted my spirits. We sun bathed on the beach gazing out to the gorgeous blue-green water. Our evening dining experience was magnificent. There’s nothing like sitting outside watching the breathtaking sunsets along the shore.  I’ve never seen such beautiful shades of orange, reddish-pink, and gold along the horizon. I can’t wait to go back this winter.

Private beach getaway in South Venice, Florida.

Sunset on Venice Island, Florida.

Many of my romance books take place in the summer.  My latest novella is A Summer’s Enchantment, book 2 in the Moonlight and Jasmine Series.  

Here’s the blurb.

Cassandra Wales, an independent and determined registered nurse finds her plans for the future shattered when her boyfriend dumps her.  Her witchcraft made him squirm and she wasn’t changing for him. The move into her new home keeps her distracted, but she’ll be sure to keep an eye out for red flags next time.  When an elderly woman shows up at her doorstep and makes an odd request, she comes face to face the woman’s hot and sexy grandson.  He convinces her to come to see his band play. Will she be able to trust a man who has women begging for his attention?

Jake Hill is an ambitious, up and coming lead singer in a rock band. When his grandmother asks him to take her over to her first home, he doesn’t question her motives. Instead, he meets the woman of his dreams. Will she stick around while he climbs the ladder in the exciting world of a rock star?

 How will Jake find the time to nurture a relationship when his music takes top billing? Can the passion between them be enough to lead the way, or will fear of failure take control of their destiny?

MY GIVEAWAY ~ I’M GIVING AWAY AN E-BOOK COPY OF A SUMMER’S ENCHANTMENT. COMMENT TO BE ENTERED. More chances for likes and follow blog and twitter. What’s your favorite thing about summer?

AUTHOR FB PAGE https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKathleenAnnGallagher
TWITTER https://twitter.com/Kathleenwrites

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SPOTLIGHT ~ DAWG DAYS ~ NIGHT OF THE JACKEL ~ BY AUTHOR V.L. LOCEY

Hello! My name is V.L. Locey, and I`m a multigenre erotic romance author. Before I get all caught up in chatting about things that go bump in the night, I`d like to thank Kathleen for having me here!

Do you remember what movie first made you jump? For me, it was the classic and B-rated monster movies. As a child I would watch Scream- In with Dr. Shock, a horror host in the Philadelphia area. I loved all the old black-and-white monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. My favorite, even as a child, was Lon Chaney Jr. as The Werewolf. I`m not sure what drew me to that character so powerfully, but to this day I have a soft spot for shapeshifters.

When I saw the call for submission for Dawg Days, I knew I had to pen a tale to submit. I already have one shifter book on the market, An Erie Halloween, from Torquere Press. Another in the series, An Erie Operetta, will be released in early 2015. For this anthology I wanted to do something a bit different but wasn`t sure what. Then I stumbled across some Kurdish folk music while looking for a music prompt to share with my local writers group. And there it was. The answer to what I would submit. With that beautiful music as inspiration, I crafted an M/M fantasy short story called Night of the Jackal about two jackal shifters on a world far different than ours.

Blurb: Sahl and Jasim are outcasts. Alone on a world covered with shifting sands, the two males live and love day by day, eking out an existence. One night, hunger drives Jasim, the largest of the two jackal shifters, into recklessness. Leaving Sahl behind, Jasim crosses the river in the hopes of stealing food from a resting caravan.

It is Sahl that relays the story of this night. Of how he, the weaker of the pair, must face many dangers to locate, and hopefully free, his lover from a terrible fate. Can Sahl find his mate in time, or will both males end up as new pelts upon the Madr Pash drying racks?

Torquere Press

Amazon

All Romance eBooks

Smashwords (Dawg Days Anthology)

Excerpt:

            I groom myself as I wait, seated under the cool gaze of the moon sisters. I clean my snout with my paw as a slow drum beat erupts from the Madr camp. I am not aware of when our kind left the other humans. We know hatred from the non-skin wearers caused us to move into the desert. That is all we know of it. That slight has never been forgiven. The travelling bands use us as a means to frighten their children, telling them sand jackals will carry them off if they wander from camp. I have never stolen a child. I have found their small bones in the sands and gnawed upon them, for the core is tasty. This caravan is known as Madr Pash. They are famed for being great hunters. My stomach rumbles. Oh, what I would give for a fish! A large red one such as we see rising to the surface of the river when the sun brothers kiss the moon sisters in greeting.

            A shout from the Madr camp startles me. My head jerks to the side. The sound was quick, sharp, but still it lingers in the wide width of my pointed ears. I shoot to my paws. Jasim! A loud hoot bounces over the silver sands. A dark fear overtakes my heartbeat. I shake the dread away. Jasim needs my help. Even if I am the smaller one in size, I am just as stalwart as Jasim. I jump from the rock to the craggy riverbed. The going is slow, difficult. My paws slip into between the smooth, wet rocks. Across the river, voices rise in song. Clapping erupts. I pick my way along, wincing when a claw is bent backward. The moon sisters are fat. They guide me.

Author Bio:

            V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, belly laughs, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers,  comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a steer named after a famous N.H.L. goalie,  a pig named after a famous President, and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.

            When not writing lusty tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, fresh cup of java in hand.

I love to meet new friends and fans! You can find me at-

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/VL-Locey/124405447678452

Twitter- https://twitter.com/vllocey

Pinterest-http://www.pinterest.com/vllocey/

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807700.V_L_Locey

My blog- http://thoughtsfromayodelinggoatherder.blogspot.com/

More V.L. Locey Torquere Press books:

Two Guys Walk Into An Apocalypse (Part of the He Loves Me For My Brainssss anthology), Two Guys Walk Into An Apocalypse 2:It Came From Birmingham, Love of the Hunter, Goaltender`s Penalty, All I Want for Christmas, Every Sunday at One (Part of the 2013 Charity Sip Anthology).

And coming soon . . .Two Guys Walk Into An Apocalypse 3:He`s A Lumberjack And He`s Undead and Early To Rise - A Toms & Tabbies Tale.

A Summer's Enchantment - All Romance Ebooks

A Summer's Enchantment - All Romance Ebooks

BOOK BLAST ~ HARD TO HOLD ON TO ~ BY LAURA KAYE

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye's HARD TO HOLD ON TO! HARD TO HOLD ON TO is a Contemporary Romance filled with suspense and is a novella in the Hard Ink Series, published by Avon Impulse (an imprint of HarperCollins). And if this novella weren't hot enough on its own, Laura is donating 100% of her proceeds from the first two weeks' sales to a national non-profit organization that assists veterans transitioning back to civilian life!!

 

Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

EXCERPT: Easy tugged down the covers and gestured for Jenna to get in. She chose the side that would allow her to lie on the uninjured side of her face. “After what you’ve been through, I don’t want to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable,” Easy said. Propping herself on an elbow, Jenna shook her head. “You won’t. You’re the—” She blanched as if she hadn’t meant to say whatever she’d nearly said. Which made Easy need to know. He crawled on the bed as if lured by the words. “Finish. That. Sentence.” She eased back onto the pillow, red hair sprawling around her shoulders like silk, and stared up at him. And it took everything Easy had not to settle himself on top of her and tease the words out with his hands and tongue. “The only one who makes me feel safe," she whispered. Satisfaction humming through him, Easy turned and stretched out on his back. Because if he kept looking at her while she was looking at him like that, he might not be able to restrain himself from having what he wanted. A taste. A chance. None of which she was in any shape for. And given the shitstorm in his head, probably neither was he. “Good. That’s good,” he murmured, blowing out a long breath. Damn, he was tired. Not just because he hadn’t slept much the night before. But because of the size of the load he’d been shouldering for the past twelve-plus months. If he could only figure out how to put it down. He scrubbed his hands over his face, wishing he could shake himself out of this fucking slump. If Rimes were here, he’d kick Easy’s ass for being such a morose motherfucker. But he wasn’t here. Which was the damn problem in a nutshell. He dropped his arms to the bed and peered over at Jenna. She lay on her side facing him, hand tucked under her chin, not looking the least bit settled or relaxed. “Whatchu need?” “You.” She spoke the word without any hesitation, any doubt, any seeming self-consciousness. “Have me, Jenna. Whatever you want,” he said, his cock stirring no matter how hard he reined himself in. Holding his gaze, she moved closer until her head rested on his shoulder and her body trapped his arm between them. And, suddenly, she wasn’t fucking close enough. “Here,” he whispered, lifting his arm and inviting her closer. And damn if his heart didn’t soar when she fitted herself the rest of the way against him, her face against his throat, her breasts against his ribs, her leg curling up onto his thigh. He wasn’t sure whose sigh was louder. All Easy knew was that this was the first time in more than a year he didn’t feel alone. Wrapping his arm around her, he couldn’t resist squeezing her in just a little closer. “Thank you,” she whispered, her breath ticklish against his neck. He laced his fingers between hers where they rested on his chest. “I gotchu. You just close your eyes and know I’m here.”  

Did you have a favorite line? Thanks for reading!

  About Hard To Hold On To: Edward "Easy" Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves—which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight. He may have just met her, but Jenna's the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago. Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can't describe how he makes her feel--and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her reach far beyond gratitude. As the pair are thrust together while chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: the things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold on to.  

Hard to Hold On To on Goodreads

   

Other Books in the Hard Ink Series:

Hard As It Gets

Hard As You Can

Hard to Come By (11/25/14)

Hard to Be Good (3/10/15)

Untitled (7/28/15)

Praise for the Hard Ink Series: For Hard As You Can: "TOP PICK! There is a sinister and desperate edge to this tale that will keep readers glued to their seats. Kaye has dark romantic suspense nailed!" ~ RT Book Reviews Magazine "Hard As You Can is another five star read. The characters Ms. Kaye has created are wonderfully broken and the drama is gritty, but the burgeoning romance and the tight-knitted relationship of the team leaves you with a sense of redemption. A must read series!" ~San Francisco Book Review For Hard As It Gets: "Edgy, sexy and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!" ~ #1 NYT Bestselling Author J.R. Ward "Sizzling romance... The intriguing tattoo parlor and military background will appeal to fans of Suzanne Brockmann and Lindsay McKenna." ~Publishers Weekly Review "Kaye's depiction of sexual tension and her sex scenes are masterful and this will appeal to fans of Maya Banks' KGI and Julia Ann Walker's Black Knight's series." ~Booklist   About Laura Kaye: Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.      

Website | Blog | Facebook | Hard Ink Puppy FB | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp |Goodreads

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SPOTLIGHT ~ AUTHOR DEVIKA FERNANDO

I'm so happy to be spreading the word about my friend Devika Fernando's latest romance,  Playing With Fire, book 1 in the 4 Elements of Love  Series.

Blurb

If you’re playing with fire, prepare to get burned – or to fall in love.

Sparks fly when Felicia and Joshua meet. Discovering her inner fire and unleashing unimaginable powers makes her realize that all her life, she has been hiding her true self. When buildings burn and people are in danger, the tempting game of playing with fire becomes serious. Will their love and desperate struggle for control save her life, or will the fire magic turn itself against its mistress?

Excerpt 

There was a wall of fire blocking her exit.

She knew she could escape it unharmed, but what about the child clinging to her, coughing and crying, choking and trembling so hard her own body shook along with the movement?

She turned to the window, biting her lip.

To jump or not to jump?

By now, the air was filled with dense, coiling smoke and unrelenting heat melting the wallpaper. The child’s screams had stopped, leaving behind a frightening silence, cloaking the fire’s rage and for the first time making her afraid.

What happened next was a blur, a succession of movement that seemed to involve somebody else and not her.

Shielding the child, a lifeless lump with its weight doubled, she faced the flames. All of a sudden, she knew what to do.

Raising herself to her full height and thinking of her dragon, she stared into the fire and whispered a fierce command.

“Let me through.”

For a moment, there was no reaction, and she bit her lip again, so hard that the salty, metallic taste of blood mingled with the smoke. She squared her shoulders, exerted pressure to radiate her own wild heat, drew a deep breath and shouted, “Let me through!”

The impossible happened.

The flames withdrew on themselves ever so slightly, parting with obvious reluctance to create a small opening in the curtain of fire. Within moments, she had hurled herself through and along the passage, nearly tripping while navigating the half-burned-away staircase. To her right and left, flames touched her arms and legs, but no other wall of fire blocked her way. She shot out of the gaping, fire-filled hole that had once been a solid, locked front door, like a bullet from the mouth of a (more than) smoking gun.

Her legs carried her farther and farther, and then no more.

Everything went blissfully blank.

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LYMQ9NK

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/459630

Author Bio

Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds – something that influences her writing. Her trademark is writing sweet, yet deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust. What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life. Besides being a romance novel author, she works as a self-employed German web content writer, as a translator, and as a faithful servant to all the cats, dogs, fish and birds in her home. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or thinking about writing.

Author Links

http://www.devikafernando.com

https://twitter.com/Author_Devika

https://www.facebook.com/devikafernandoauthor

http://www.pinterest.com/devikafernando1/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7980006.Devika_Fernando

V.L. Locey : Welcome Back Kathleen Ann Gallagher! Free Book Giveaway!

V.L. Locey : Welcome Back Kathleen Ann Gallagher! Free Book Giveaway!