tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91333657631003019772024-03-16T01:50:19.013-04:00In the Hammock BlogBook Reviews and More!Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.comBlogger1184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-16863013404818520462017-08-11T19:11:00.002-04:002017-08-11T19:11:25.439-04:00"Say No More" by Liliana Hart and Giveaway of the First Two Gravedigger Books!<div style="text-align: center;">
Today at the In the Hammock, we have an awesome giveaway to celebrate the release of Liliana Hart's "Say No More" which is the third book in the Gravedigger Series. The Winner will receive books one and two in the series!!</div>
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<b>SAY NO MORE</b><br />
Liliana Hart<br />
Book 3 in The Gravediggers Series<br />
Pocket Books<br />
July 25, 2017<br />
9781501150074<br />
$7.99<br />
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<b>Praise for Say No More, Book 3:</b><br />
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“The third Gravediggers contemporary romantic thriller (after Gone to Dust) continues Hart’s winning formula of combining high adventure and espionage with steamy sex...Globetrotting from France to Last Stop, Tex. (home of the Gravediggers), to the British Virgin Islands, Hart’s high-tempo thriller never lets up. Fans will enjoy her employment of the entire Gravedigger team, who sat out much of the last book, as they stay one step ahead of the enemy.”<br />
—Publishers Weekly<br />
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“[Say No More] by terrific talent Hart is a caper thriller where the stakes are life and death. Hart has built a compelling world…Each of these books builds on the characters of the previous novels, which adds emotional and psychological depth. With plenty of action, danger and romance, this is a book a romantic suspense fan can really sink their teeth into.”<br />
—RT<br />
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<b>About the book:</b><br />
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Return to New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Liliana Hart’s romantic suspense series, the Gravediggers, with SAY NO MORE, the thrilling game of cat and mouse between a member of the Gravediggers and the brilliant woman hot on his heels.<br />
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The Gravediggers aren’t exactly what they seem. They’re the most elite of the world’s fighting forces—and all they have in common is that they’ve been betrayed by the countries they’ve died for. Because they are dead. To their country, their military, and their families. Sometimes the dead do rise…<br />
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Dante Malcolm is a man of refined tastes. He was once a part of Britain’s elite intelligence force, but his double life eventually caught up with him. There was a reason he’d never been able to capture Simon Locke, a notorious thief who always seemed to be one step ahead. Dante was Simon, and eventually his extracurricular activities cost him his life, and he now belongs to the Gravediggers.<br />
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Liv Rothschild is a detective inspector with Interpol and the woman responsible for catching M16’s most notorious agent in his final heist—the heist that killed him. But something about his death has never sat right with her, and she’s been haunted by it for months. It was too easy, and Dante Malcolm was too smart to go down that way.<br />
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Dante might belong to the Gravediggers, but his heart and soul will always belong to the next job—each one with a bigger payout and more dangerous than the last. The rest of the team doesn’t know about his alter ego, because he made sure the information went missing from his file. So when the job he’s waited his whole life for seems like a possibility, he sneaks out of the country like a thief in the night, only to run into the one woman who’s ever been able to match him in brilliance—and passion—for the job. The problem is they’re standing on opposite sides of the law—and only one of them can walk away with the prize. <br />
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<b>Interview September 25:</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.authorsontheair.com/&source=gmail&ust=1502578474930000&usg=AFQjCNG1t0e16EN1C420th1AQSXETkH0Iw" href="http://www.authorsontheair.com/" target="_blank">Authors on the Air Global Radio Network</a><span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></span> – Gravediggers Series interview with Liliana Hart!<br />
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<b>About the author:</b><br />
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Liliana Hart is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than forty titles, including the Addison Holmes Whiskey and J.J. Graves Mystery series. Since self-publishing in June 2011, Liliana has sold more than four million ebooks. She’s hit the #1 spot on lists all over the world, and all three of her series have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. Liliana is a sought-after speaker who’s given keynote speeches and self-publishing workshops to standing-room-only crowds from CA to NYC to London. Visit <a href="http://lilianahart.com/">LilianaHart.com</a>, <a href="http://facebook.com/lilianahartauthor">facebook.com/lilianahartauthor</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/Liliana_Hart">twitter.com/Liliana_Hart</a>.<br />
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<b>Gravedigger Giveaway:</b><br />
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For the Gravedigger Giveaway, we are giving away two books to one lucky winner: <b>One review copy of Book 1, The Darkest Corner, and a review copy of Book 2, Gone to Dust!</b> U.S. only, please.<br />
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18 and over<br />
US only<br />
Books will be sent by the publisher<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="7c6eb14c102" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7c6eb14c102/" id="rcwidget_rrgxfbkz" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for this post.</span></div>
Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-49269971549818154832017-06-17T16:38:00.003-04:002017-06-17T16:38:52.757-04:00Review: "Corliss" by VC Andrews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>"Corliss"</b><br />
<b>by V.C. Andrews</b><br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Pocket Star Ebooks<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>June 12, 2017<br /><br />
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<b>Source:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sent by publisher<br />
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<b>My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars</b><br />
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<b>Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620390-corliss?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">goodreads.com</span>:</a></b></div>
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<span class="elementTwo" id="freeText16176936737873020554"><br />
</span><span id="freeText14861448873483025173">From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series, now Lifetime movies, comes a haunting new novella featuring a mysterious, highly intelligent teenaged girl as she struggles to survive high school and understand her place in this complex, sometimes dangerous world.<br />
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Corliss is not like other girls at her Los Angeles high school. Incredibly intelligent, shy, and a loner, she has difficultly in fitting in. What’s worse, a clique of girls is out to get her after she refuses to take drugs with them, leading to a violent confrontation. When Corliss is unknowingly drugged, her entire life is turned upside down and no one—not even the handsome valedictorian who had agreed to go out with her—looks at her the same way. Will she be able to return to her high school or is there another path she can take? And where will it take her?</span> </blockquote>
<b>My Review:</b><br />
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I enjoy a good VC Andrews book, they're a nice guilty pleasure. Nothing too hard to digest here, but also a lot of dark, gothic fun for an afternoon read. Yes, some awful things happen, but the way that it's written, it never feels hopeless. It may be a tale that his been told before, high school girl is bullied, but it's told in that special VC Andrews way.<br />
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This ebook is very short, but that works great for this short tale. Anything else would have felt dragged out. This ebook is part of a four part prequel for the Andrews' book "Bittersweet Dreams." I haven't read the full novel yet, but I believe I would have enjoyed Corliss even more if I had.<br />
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The novella ends with Corliss being accepted to Spindrift, the school for special teens. I think the book serves as a great teaser for "Bittersweet Dreams," or as complementary reading for those who have already read the novel. For me personally, it made me want to read Bittersweet Dreams so I can find out what happens and who Corliss will meet there. <br />
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<i></i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Characters: <span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span>/5 </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Supporting Characters: <span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span>/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Setting: 5/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Romance: 3.5/5 </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Uniqueness: 4/5</span><br />
<span class="userReview"><span class="reviewText" id="freeTextreview80727034"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cover: 5/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Writing: 5/5</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom Line:</span> I found the story quite interesting, and I think it will appeal to fans of VC Andrews' work. I will definitely be reading "Bittersweet Dreams" and the additional four "Girls of Spindrift" novellas.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-20018201799921603192017-06-17T16:23:00.001-04:002017-06-17T16:23:32.414-04:00"In The Cowboy's Arms" Guest Post from Author Vicki Lewis Thompson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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IN THE COWBOY’S ARMS<br />
By Vicki Lewis Thompson<br />
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Harlequin<br />
May 23, 2017<br />
$5.75 US; 224 pages<br />
ISBN: 978-0-373-62352-5<br />
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Matt Forrest was born to be an actor, but grew up at Thunder Mountain Ranch as a cowboy. So when things go haywire after shooting his first Hollywood movie, he retreats to his childhood home where he knows his parents and foster brothers can help him figure out what he really wants out of life.<br />
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But PR agent, Geena Lysander, isn’t about to lose one of her best new clients—so she follows him. And things get complicated because she’s attracted to Matt, and not just for his handsome, movie-star good looks. As she gets to know the man behind the cowboy, their professional relationship becomes passionately personal. Could Matt’s next big role be as Geena’s leading man?<br />
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VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON is a New York Times bestselling author who worked as a journalist and a high school English teacher before deciding to become a romance novelist. She was the recipient of Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, and has published more than 100 books.<br />
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And now a guest post from Vicki Lewis Thompson! Welcome to In the Hammock, Vicki!<br />
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<b>How-to Tips for Aspiring Writers by Vicki Lewis Thompson: </b><br />
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Tips for those looking to get their work published/break into the industry.<br />
1. Be an artist and a businesswoman. A myth persists that all you need is a great book and minions will appear to do the rest. A great book is a good start, but it will languish unless it’s shepherded through the process by an educated author who’s studied the market and researched her publishing options.<br />
2. Turn in clean copy. Pleasing a reader is the goal, whether the reader is your mom, an agent, an editor, or the stranger who plunks down money for your book. No one deserves to be handed a story riddled with typos and grammatical mistakes unless that person has agreed, for love or money, to help you make it presentable.<br />
3. Study story structure. Commercial fiction is more than a random collection of scenes. Many excellent books have been written about story structure if you’re hazy on the concept. Even if you think you understand it, brush up on the topic to be sure.<br />
4. Read and analyze bestsellers in your sub-genre. They’ve achieved what you’re aiming for and it’s extremely valuable to figure out how and why they’re reaching a large audience. If the answer seems elusive, keep looking. It’s there.<br />
5. Find your tribe. Writing is a solitary pursuit, but with all the communication tools we have, you should be able to locate your peeps. If possible, funnel down from the general category of writer to fiction writer, then to romance fiction writer and finally to the specific sub-genre(s) you’re targeting. Building a network of those who write what you do will help with your plots, your sales and your sanity.<br />
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Dislcosure: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for this post.Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-90181195635562340752017-06-01T13:18:00.001-04:002017-06-01T13:18:35.751-04:00"Their Pretend Amish Courtship" Blog Tour and Guest PostTHEIR PRETEND AMISH COURTSHIP<br />
By Patricia Davids<br />
May 23, 2017<br />
$5.99 US; 224 pages<br />
ISBN: 978-0-373-62278-8<br />
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Fannie Erb isn’t looking for a husband – especially if it means she has to leave behind her beloved horses to go find one. What she needs is a way to assure her parents that she’s not hopeless when it comes to love. And her family friend, Noah Bowman, might just be her solution.<br />
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A fake relationship would free them both from unwanted matchmaking plans, but how could Fannie predict that pretending to date the handsome boy next door would awaken genuine emotions? By summer’s end, they’ll be free to go their separate ways, but Fannie’s growing feelings are transforming her neighbor into the only man who might ever reign in her adventurous heart.<br />
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PATRICIA DAVIDS is a USA Today Bestselling author who grew up in Kansas. She began her career as a nurse, and put her dreams to write a book on hold as she raised a family and worked in the NICU. After forty years, she began writing seriously in 1996. Today, she enjoys crafting emotionally satisfying romances where love and faith being two people together forever.<br />
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<b>GUEST POST</b></div>
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Now, I would like to welcome Patricia to In the Hammock Blog as she shares a little about herself with my readers. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your shorty, Patricia!!<br />
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<b>Summer Hobbies by Patricia Davids</b></div>
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In the summer of 2015 my mother passed away and it quickly became clear that my elderly father couldn’t cope on his own. I made the decision to return home to the family farm located south and east of Abilene, Kansas and become a live-in caregiver. In doing so, I have had the joy of rediscovering the farm life I’d left behind more than forty years ago. <br />
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The farm is a working farm and cattle operation run by my youngest brother Gary and his son Kyle. They raise wheat, soybeans, milo and cane. Cane is grown primarily for our own use as cattle feed. Each year my brother and my dad purchase close to 500 head of young steers that are pastured over the summer in the Flint Hills and sold to feed lots in the early fall. <br />
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My father’s frail health keeps him off the tractors and out of the fields, but my brother regularly consults Dad on farming and cattle issues. When it became too much for Dad to attend cattle auctions in person, Gary showed us how to pull up the live auctions on the computer. I love him for his compassion. He makes Dad feel he is still an important part of the business he spent his life building. I know Gary could do it all and do it as well without Dad’s input but he is wise enough to listen to Dad’s advice before making his own decisions.<br />
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One thing I did not count on when I moved back home was the fact that everyone on the farm has to do their share of the work. I became a cook for harvest crews and delivered the meals to them in the fields. Eating lunch under the shade of a tree at the edge of a field of golden wheat is as much fun now as it was 45 years ago. I have hauled farm equipment, helped check the herds of cattle for sickness or injury, helped with range burning and even done my part at branding time although I don’t get to use the branding iron. I just prod the reluctant steers into the branding chute. A job that is sometimes much harder than it sounds. <br />
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Tasks that I did on horseback as a kid are now done from a four-wheeler, but I do get to spend a lot of time outdoors. I can’t believe how thankful I am for this opportunity to get to know my brother better and to take care of Dad. When the work is done, we all enjoy the same summer pastime. Fishing down at the creek. <br />
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You should see the size of the large-mouth bass and channel cats we’ve got in there.<br />
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Dislcosure: I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for this post.Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-22224066072866951482017-05-08T12:25:00.003-04:002017-05-08T12:25:39.307-04:00"Always My Baby" by Martha Kennerson and Song PlaylistALWAYS MY BABY<br />
By Martha Kennerson<br />
Published by Harlequin<br />
April 18, 2017<br />
$6.50 U.S.; 224 pages<br />
ISBN-978-0-373-864997<br />
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China Edwards is an ambitious environmental attorney who pursues every goal with drive and dedication, and having a baby is no different. No husband? No problem. She’ll find the perfect donor. Then, after one spontaneous and passionate night with bachelor Alexander Kingsley, these two longtime friends are left with an unanticipated benefit that throws China’s future plans into turmoil.<br />
China’s bright, legal mind and friendship are indispensable to Alexander and his multi billion dollar oil firm. However, the possibility of her moving on makes him realize just how deep his feelings actually run. After their all-business relationship takes a wildly erotic detour, Alexander is drawn into a company scandal that rocks his life. With trust in tatters, can an unplanned bundle of joy lead them to become the family they never expected?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlB3mESfjUi5dL4IBwLda_BRm06llzYTM6-6MOP9tq-cymEGiP14GH8GIyjk_HGDo636MrQ1n3-UZ74JUVKZzCo-Be2xI8SrW4sqrLGpxH3QtqGS6dpsSrjNjaHld3ReqqZlTmGLtYsU/s1600/Martha+Kennerson+-+Author+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlB3mESfjUi5dL4IBwLda_BRm06llzYTM6-6MOP9tq-cymEGiP14GH8GIyjk_HGDo636MrQ1n3-UZ74JUVKZzCo-Be2xI8SrW4sqrLGpxH3QtqGS6dpsSrjNjaHld3ReqqZlTmGLtYsU/s640/Martha+Kennerson+-+Author+Photo.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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MARTHA KENNERSON is a bestselling and award-winning author who believes her current blessings are only matched by the struggle it took to achieve such happiness. She has enjoyed a successful career in executive management for more than 20 years and lives in Texas with her family.<br />
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Song Playlist: A prepared playlist of songs that embodies the book’s characters and their love story.<br />
Baby Hold On To Me by Gerald & Eddie Levert<br />
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran<br />
In My Mind by Heather Headley<br />
All of Me by John Legend<br />
Stay With Me by Sam Smith featuring Mary J. Blige<br />
Like I’m Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend<br />
Let It Go by James Bay<br />
Exceptional by Babyface<br />
Share My Life by Kem<br />
Our Love by Natalie Cole<br />
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disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publicist in exchange for this post.Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-76005551799206340752017-05-08T12:20:00.001-04:002017-05-08T12:20:23.065-04:00"Lucas" by Delores Flossen Blog Tour and Song Playlist<br />
LUCAS<br />
By Delores Fossen<br />
Published by Harlequin<br />
April 18, 2017<br />
$5.75 U.S.; 256 pages<br />
ISBN-978-1-335-720955<br />
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A Texas Lawman will do anything to protect his son – even if it includes reuniting with the boy’s on-the-run mother…<br />
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Lucas Ryland has always had a way with the ladies. That is, until Hailey Darrow dropped him after a single night of passion. Then he discovered her unconscious body in a wrecked car with a fake ID and enough money to disappear. Unbeknown to him, the one who got away was leaving town with his baby…<br />
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Now Hailey is out of her coma, but still in danger. However, hiding her at his Silver Creek ranch ignites old passions and introduces new threats. Lucas must use every protective instinct in his arsenal to keep Hailey and their infant son safe. And to keep his body from remembering how good it felt to hold her in his arms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrM4oxxlYTqxBR_y_TmeQP0TTbpypx8doP_r01qFZosA_lKfbBvHKfquRotVu38UkGrD0OhbGb7f9TPNlXY6oPWjf9I2ndfnT-qzXeTKX9otd81IOXlL4rFlJ1A3yZvjLbQKbji7TMLy8/s1600/Delores+Fossen+Author+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrM4oxxlYTqxBR_y_TmeQP0TTbpypx8doP_r01qFZosA_lKfbBvHKfquRotVu38UkGrD0OhbGb7f9TPNlXY6oPWjf9I2ndfnT-qzXeTKX9otd81IOXlL4rFlJ1A3yZvjLbQKbji7TMLy8/s640/Delores+Fossen+Author+Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
DELORES FOSSEN is a USA Today bestselling author and an Air Force veteran who has sold millions of copies of her novels. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award for romantic suspense, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, and was a finalist for the prestigious Rita. She’s written more than 50 books and has nearly 100 short stories and articles published in national magazines.<br />
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<br />
Song Playlist: Delores has prepared a playlist of songs that embodies the book’s characters and their love story.<br />
Austin - Blake Sheldon<br />
Come a Little Closer - Dierks Bentley<br />
Let's Be Us Again – Lonestar<br />
Don’t Cry - Guns N Roses<br />
Blue Ain’t Your Color - Keith Urban<br />
You're The Love I Want to Be In - Jason Aldean<br />
I Won’t Give Up - Jason Mraz <br />
Stay - Rhianna <br />
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disclosure: I recieved a copy of this book from the publicist in exchange for this postCarrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-66465070850003153522017-04-14T14:33:00.000-04:002017-04-14T14:33:14.989-04:00"Guardian" Blog Tour and Movie Star Cast
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"Guardian"</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Terri Reed </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>April 21, 2017</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32702420-guardian?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>: </b></span></span></span></div>
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PROTECTING THE SINGLE MOM<br />
When
a fellow FBI agent is kidnapped and a protected witness vanishes, Leo
Gallagher will stop at nothing to find them both. So when he discovers a
link between the case and a single mother in Wyoming, Leo and his
trusty K-9 partner rush to question Alicia Duncan. Could she be the key
to locating the missing persons? Not if a killer has anything to say
about it. Someone is determined to keep Alicia from talking, so Leo and
his chocolate Lab must keep her and her little boy safe on their family
ranch. With danger lurking around every corner, Leo must work overtime
to not lose another person who's important to him.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> Author Terri Reed</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Movie
Star Cast: </b>Terri Reed has chosen<b> </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">movie stars to play the characters in "Guardian" in a movie.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For
my hero FBI agent Leo Gallagher, I would cast Jason Lewis. There’s
something about his chiseled jaw and bright eyes that is captivating.
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507314/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507314/</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My
heroine, Alicia Duncan, would be Zoey Deschanel. She has such an
interesting look. A mix of innocence and sensuality. She could play
the fiercely protective heroine quite well. </span></span></span>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0221046/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0221046/</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks so much for stopping by, Terri! Great movie cast, I'd love to see that movie!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for this post.</span> </span></span></div>
Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-20883773534281291592017-04-11T16:07:00.000-04:002017-04-11T16:07:02.414-04:00"Finding Our Forever" Blog Tour and Writing Tips from Brenda Novak<div align="JUSTIFY" style="background: #ffffff; margin-bottom: 0.02in; margin-top: 0.02in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5G5V1tZF_qb3a66i3XVyKIF3b6PQXTjwVpdq0-b4J7xWm6W2_Io9FtmTHwuNffAjBwIX8GzJgYbGba5WCG_m-hcIafuR0ofT0OiFDrzTvpZhB5wU7007jbeDmzuZJcewcarzIMb8AWI/s1600/FINDING+OUR+FOREVER+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5G5V1tZF_qb3a66i3XVyKIF3b6PQXTjwVpdq0-b4J7xWm6W2_Io9FtmTHwuNffAjBwIX8GzJgYbGba5WCG_m-hcIafuR0ofT0OiFDrzTvpZhB5wU7007jbeDmzuZJcewcarzIMb8AWI/s640/FINDING+OUR+FOREVER+Cover.jpg" width="404" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"Finding Our Forever" </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Brenda Novak</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>March 21st Harlequin Special Edition</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32671250-finding-our-forever" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>: </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText13228371216524565359"><i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Brenda Novak welcomes readers to the town of Silver Springs, where surprises wait around every corner!<br />
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The search for her birth mother brought Cora Kelly to the New Horizons Boys Ranch. Getting a job there was easy enough, but confiding in Aiyana, the ranch's owner, that she's really her daughter? Cora's not sure she can do that, not unless she's confident the news will be welcomed. And once she gets to know Elijah Turner, Aiyana's adopted son and ranch manager, that decision becomes even more difficult.<br />
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Although Elijah can't deny his deep attraction to Cora, he's always struggled with trust. Anyone with his past would, and there's something about the ranch's newest employee that isn't exactly as it seems. But if the feelings she awakes in his guarded heart are any indication, she might be just what he's long been waiting for.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How-to Tips for Aspiring Writers: </b></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tips for those looking to get their work published/break into the industry.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ten Things Every Novel Needs By Brenda Novak</b></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The beautiful thing about any creative endeavor is that there is no one “right” way to accomplish it. Everyone’s imagination works differently, and that’s what provides such great variety in art and literature. Just when someone thinks there’s an easy formula or “recipe” that must be followed if a book is to be “good” or “successful,” some author will invariably break one or more of the “rules” and wind up with a blockbuster. That said, there are certain elements that help to make one story better than another. These are the ten I believe to be most important.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>A great hook</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. These can be really fun to come up with. I got the idea for THE SECRET SISTER, which was nominated for the presitgious Rita Award, from an episode of </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Dateline</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. I was mesmerized as I watched a brother and sister, now adults, talk about the vague memories they had of another child. They were certain that child had been a sibling, but their mother claimed otherwise. They decided to dig deeper, and I was hooked! I wanted to know where that child was and what had happened to her—and why the mother had lied. Then I wanted to write a story that explored the same premise (although my book develops and ends in a completely different way than the incident that inspired it).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Layered characters.</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> What’s interesting about characters is that they can’t be “too” real, or they will seem fake. I know that’s a paradox, but real people are too inconsistent to make believeable characters. On the other hand, flat, two-dimensional characters are unengaging. So finding that middle ground can make all the difference, and that often involves creating characters who are flawed—because that’s what makes them sympathetic. </span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Tension</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. In almost any kind of book it’s tension, created from conflict, that propels a story forward. Without something to conquer, something to overcome, there is no journey, no reason to read on. </span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Solid Research</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. In a way, an author has to be a “jack of all trades.” Although she may have only limited experience with certain things (like the adoption process and what it takes to unravel a closed adoption such as what I wrote about in FINDING OUR FOREVER), it becomes encumbant on her to do enough research to be able to write with authority, which is what makes the book convincing. A single error can throw the reader right out of the story with the thought, “That could never happen!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Pacing that fits the style and genre of the book</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. While a romantic suspense novel might need to move fast, a contemporary romance seems to have a relatively moderate pace and a straight historical novel or a literary novel might be able to withstand even more introspection. Either way, the pacing must be appropriate to the story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Chapter/scene hooks</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. An author who builds her chapters and scenes such that she ends on an an up beat, instead of a sense of denoument, propels her reader into the next chapter—and the next and the next and so on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Active writing</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. Avoiding passive verbs like had, has, was, seemed and looked, and using stronger verbs in their place, will help bring the story alive. We’ve all heard, “Show, don’t tell.” This is part of the same thing. You want your readers to actively experience the story, to </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>live</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> the story, and that won’t happen if you’re standing back, telling them what’s happening from a distance. You need to bring them close in order to ignite their imagination and emotions. Then they will be right there with you, participating in every event.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Tone</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. Hold to a sense of mystery as your tale unfolds. I never thought much about tone until I read a book that was light and funny at first (just like what was promised on the cover and blurb), but suddenly turned dark and angry. The change so unexpected and so sudden it nearly gave me whiplash, and it made me slightly angry. I felt like the author had broken her contract with me, the reader, which made me realize that holding fast to the correct tone as a writer is important. </span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Unanswered questions</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. Why is the heroine doing this or that? Will she escape? What will the hero do when he finds out? Are they going to make it? What’s going to happen next? Knowing how much information to convey—and when—is key. Posing such questions will build a sense of urgency that should escalate through the novel to the black moment, making the “big finish” that much more exciting and satisfying.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Subtext</u></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. Sub-text makes everything richer, more intriguing. According to fellow author Alicia Rasley, “A layered conversation is always more interesting than a simple one. Make it obvious that your characters are really saying more than what is on the page. That engages the reader’s thoughts and imagination as they try to puzzle out the subtleties.” I wholeheartedly agree with her!</span></span></div>
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Thank you so much for stopping by, Brenda!! Enjoy the book, everyone!<br />
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disclosure: I received an e-copy of the book in exchange for this postCarrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-34595302250074260342017-03-28T14:24:00.001-04:002017-03-28T14:24:37.974-04:00"Highland Duke" Release Day Blitz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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THE HIGHLAND DUKE<br />
Author: Amy Jarecki<br />
Series: Lords of the Highlands, #1<br />
On Sale: March 28, 2017<br />
Publisher: Forever<br />
Mass Market: $7.99 USD<br />
eBook: $3.99 USD<br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/2ns0kuJ" id="docs-internal-guid-e1ef4de7-1623-80c5-c3f0-dc233b984249" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Add to Goodreads</span></a><br />
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Indie author Amy Jarecki makes her print debut with a brand-new series about rugged Highland lords.<br />
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She'll put her life on the line for him . . . <br />
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When Akira Ayres finds the brawny Scot with a musket ball in his thigh, the healer has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to save his life. Even if it means fleeing with him across the Highlands to tend to his wounds while English redcoats are closing in. Though Akira is as fierce and brave as any of her clansmen, even she's intimidated by the fearsome, brutally handsome Highlander who refuses to reveal his name.<br />
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Yet she can never learn his true identity.<br />
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Geordie knows if Akira ever discovers he's the Duke of Gordon, both her life and his will be forfeit in a heartbeat. The only way to keep the lass safe is to ensure she's by his side day and night. But the longer he's with her, the harder it becomes to think of letting her go. Despite all their differences, despite the danger-he will face death itself to make her his . . . <br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">THE HIGHLAND DUKE, #1</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">THE HIGHLAND COMMANDER, #2</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Photo Credit: </span>Bruce Heinsius Photography</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amy Jarecki is a descendant of an ancient Lowland clan and adores Scotland. Though she now resides in southwest Utah, she received her MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Winning multiple writing awards, she found her niche in the genre of Scottish historical romance. Amy writes steamy edge-of-your-seat action adventures with rugged men and fascinating women who weave their paths through the brutal eras of centuries past.</span></div>
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<b>HIGHLAND DUKE excerpt</b><br />
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Curled under Geordie’s arm, Akira finally stopped shivering. All around them rain splashed. Everything was soaked and their little alcove smelled of horse—not a horrid smell, but not one she’d choose for her boudoir, either. If she had a boudoir.<br />
She chose to ignore the voice in the back of her head telling her it wasn’t proper to allow a strange man to put his arm around her shoulders and offer her warmth. But there was something in the way Geordie looked at her that made her feel all warm inside and, moreover, protected. Aye, he’d been in a great deal of pain—was still in great pain—but since he roused from his last bout of unconsciousness, he’d behaved admirably. He’d brought the horse under control, figured out where they were, and formed a plan to take them to someone he could trust to provide her with an escort home.<br />
With darkness, the air grew colder. Clutching her fists under her chin, Akira curled into Geordie’s heat. He smoothed his palm along her outer arm, his touch soothing.<br />
When he turned his lips toward her, his warm breath skimmed across her forehead. “Try to sleep.” The gentle burr of his voice imparted all the more comfort.<br />
But she couldn’t get too comfortable; she must to do her duty. He was still her patient. “I’m the healer. I should be telling you to do the same.”<br />
His hazel gaze drifted to her mouth, and he grinned. <br />
“Very well.” He pulled his arm away, but not before running his fingers across her back. Blessed tingles spread over her skin as if she’d been caressed by feathers. Oh, heaven help her, his touch was unbelievably sublime. If only she could ask him to run his fingers back and forth again—just one more time.<br />
She reached for the hem of his kilt, then quickly snapped her fingers away. What had she been thinking? True, she’d applied the salve before, but that was when he was mostly unconscious and definitely before he’d put his arm around her shoulder and smiled at her like a…like a…brawny Highlander.<br />
“Have you gone shy, lass?” he asked with a hint of humor in his deep brogue.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for this post</span></div>
Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-85744970925286259582017-03-27T15:03:00.001-04:002017-03-27T15:03:47.933-04:00"Wildly Into the Dark" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>"Wildly Into the Dark: Typewriter Poems and the Rattlings of a Curious Mind"</b><br />
<b>by Tyler Knott Gregson</b><br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Tarcher Perigree<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>March 28, 2017<br />
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<b>Source:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sent by publisher<br />
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<b>My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars</b><br />
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<b>Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34427870-wildly-into-the-dark" target="_blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">goodreads.com</span>:</a></b></div>
<blockquote>
<span class="elementTwo" id="freeText16176936737873020554"><br />
</span><span id="freeText16177446695913299303"><b>The most intimate and eclectic poetry collection yet from bestselling author and online sensation Tyler Knott Gregson</b><br /> <br />
With loyal fans around the world and across the internet, Tyler Knott
Gregson is reinventing poetry for a new generation, using Instagram and
Tumblr to reach readers where they are. <br /> <br /> Tyler’s third collection includes more of his popular Typewriter Series poems (featured in his first book, <i>Chasers of the Light</i>)
as well as never-before-published scenes that paint the world as only
Tyler sees and experiences it. Filled with vivid photographs and even
more vivid emotions, <i>Wildly Into the Dark</i> is a must-have for
longtime fans as well as newcomers to Tyler's unique brand of
passionate, intimate, and playful words and images.</span> </blockquote>
<b>My Review:</b><br />
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This book is just gorgeous, gorgeous to look at, to read, and to feel. Tyler Knott Gregson's poetry is bound to make you feel whether you want to or not. I thought I was just going to look at this book on a lazy afternoon, but I was mistaken. I was taken through the wringer of life and death, with lots of love and romance along the way.<br />
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For those of you familiar with Gregson's poetry, he actually types out the poems on a typewriter on scraps of paper, and the book includes photos of these. This gives such personality and dimension to each poem. It also makes for a fabulous book to look at.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom Line: </span><br />This book is definitely on my keeper shelf, I know I will keep going
back to it and learning something new each time that I read it. This
would be an excellent gift book to anyone who loves poetry and romance.<br />
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Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-19089014006272149442017-03-01T13:55:00.000-05:002017-03-01T14:33:33.057-05:00"A Lady's Code of Misconduct" Blog Tour and Giveaway<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm so excited to be part of the blog tour for Meredith Duran's newest book, <i>A Lady's Code of Misconduct</i>! Find out more about the book below, and enter to win an autographed copy of one of her previous books-<i>Fool Me Twice </i>in the Reckless Read Giveaway!</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">FROM THE<i> usa today</i> bestselling author of <i>FOOL ME TWICe</i>, the<i> </i>2015 RITA AWARD Winner for Historical Romance</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">AND<i> LUCK BE A LADY</i>,<i> </i>AN <i>RT BOOK REVIEWS</i> NOMINEE FOR BEST BOOK OF 2015 HISTORICAL NOVEL</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">A LADY’S CODE OF MISCONDUCT</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Fifth in the Rules for the Reckless Series</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">By Meredith Duran</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Pocket Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Publication Date: February 28, 2017 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">ISBN: <span style="color: black;">9781501139024</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Price: $7.99 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14822924-that-scandalous-summer" target="_blank">Goodreads </a></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Praise for <i>A Lady’s Code of Misconduct</i>:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“Political intrigue and conspiracies abound in Duran’s engrossing fifth Rules for the Reckless Victorian romance (after <i>Luck Be a Lady</i>), which boasts plot twists galore…Duran is at the pinnacle of her craft as she weaves together humor, forgiveness, and love in a flawlessly executed plot. Jane, Crispin, and the rest of the characters are all well drawn, and the love scenes strike the perfect balance of steamy and sweet. Each layer in the story is suspenseful and delightful, making this the best installment so far.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—<i>Publishers Weekly</i> <span class="m_984431435277078326m8215659894505237650m-215935787213904225gmailmsg">STARRED REVIEW </span> </span><span class="m_984431435277078326m8215659894505237650m-215935787213904225gmailmsg"></span></b></div>
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<span class="m_984431435277078326m8215659894505237650m-215935787213904225gmailmsg"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“A sham marriage, political intrigue, and a case of amnesia provide a backdrop for this absorbing Victorian romance. Although Duran (<i>Luck Be a Lady</i>, 2015, etc.) has written a novel as layered as an onion, the characters are well-drawn and the plot flawlessly executed. Add in some very steamy sex, and the fifth installment of Duran's Rules for the Reckless series can't help but delight. This book weaves its spell so thoroughly that the most fortunate reader will be the one who has time to read the entire thing in one sitting. A masterful tale of suspense, forgiveness, and love.”</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—<span class="m_984431435277078326m8215659894505237650m-215935787213904225gmailmsg"><i>Kirkus</i> STARRED REVIEW </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #221e1f; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“Political intrigue drives a captivating historical romance…This Regency romance, part of the Rules for the Reckless series, is a smart love story, peopled with complex and absorbing characters.”</span><span style="color: #221e1f;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—<i>BookPage,</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> <b>TOP PICK IN ROMANCE</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; font-style: normal;">“A</span></i><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">riveting story.”</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“A </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">masterful author of historical romances…<i><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; padding: 0in;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.amazon.com/Ladys-Code-Misconduct-Rules-Reckless-ebook/dp/B01HMXRXWK/ref%3Dblogs_omni_link_20170125roNNEW-AL&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNFaTFani4oPvuoio6NYj6H23GDdeQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/Ladys-Code-Misconduct-Rules-Reckless-ebook/dp/B01HMXRXWK/ref=blogs_omni_link_20170125roNNEW-AL" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">A Lady’s Code of Misconduct</span></a></span></i><span class="m_984431435277078326apple-converted-space"> </span>takes worn threads of old tropes, like amnesia and the tortured hero, and weaves them into a lush tapestry with sophisticated, beautiful writing. Crispin seems power-mad and Jane seems saintly, but as Duran slowly unravels their characters amidst a plot of intrigue, betrayal, and dark secrets, we discover they’re more alike than they (or we) realize. The hero is swoonworthy, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with Jane as his flaws shine a light on her own. The tale and characters so captivated me, that I literally couldn’t put it down.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“T<span style="background: white;">houghtfully written and the story creates not just a simple story of two people but an entire world for them to inhabit. If you like your historicals to have some meat to them, I highly recommend this one.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“Extremely relevant to our current political state…I could have easily sat and devoured this in one evening as each of the chapters seemed to end on a cliffhanger that just won't let you put the book down. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Quill says: <i>A Lady’s Code of Misconduct</i> is the perfect book to sit in your favorite chair with and let the world pass by for a little while you get lost in the past.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“<span style="background: white;">I absolutely love this series… Meredith writes intelligent characters with a fast paced plot. Her writing is sensual, witty and totally captivating. This book has everything you would want in a Historical Romance. It is witty, sensual with a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end. Crispin and Jane are extraordinary characters in a riveting story that will leave you wanting more. The journey of Crispin and Jane to their HAE is fabulous. I will read anything that Meredith writes.” </span> </span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; font-style: normal;">“A </span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">fun read. I enjoyed Duran’s characters and plot…there’s a villain who made me think of a Regency era James Bond villain.”</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">About the book:</span></u></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">USA TODAY </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">bestselling author Meredith Duran’s<b><i> </i></b>A LADY’S CODE OF MISCONDUCT is the fifth sizzling novel in the Rules for the Reckless<i> </i>series—a sexy and evocative Regency romance between a famous heiress and an infamous crime lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">A DEAL WITH the DEVIL…</span></div>
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Trapped in the countryside, facing an unwanted marriage and the theft of her fortune, Jane Mason is done behaving nicely. To win her freedom, she’ll strike a deal with the most dangerous man she knows—a rising star in politics, whose dark good looks mask an even darker heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">…NEVER GOES TO PLAN.</span></div>
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The bitter past has taught Crispin Burke to trust no one. He’ll gladly help a lovely young heiress, provided she pays a price. Yet when a single mistake shatters his life, it is Jane who holds the key to his salvation. And in a world that no longer makes sense, Crispin slowly realizes that she may be the only thing worth fighting for...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXgBgEn2Tkuq_p4h5IPaI4Fn6KDzyrGOb1VZDrxbT5r5sbFGUDqo9FNwyzGvF9T2A_nA1R1AXgUoxIDntpywOz5hgFpX_l9VDXlijqsY_uS27UjOQvP7kA3eL80v48fMz5FdmWnkAOEg/s1600/meredithduran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXgBgEn2Tkuq_p4h5IPaI4Fn6KDzyrGOb1VZDrxbT5r5sbFGUDqo9FNwyzGvF9T2A_nA1R1AXgUoxIDntpywOz5hgFpX_l9VDXlijqsY_uS27UjOQvP7kA3eL80v48fMz5FdmWnkAOEg/s1600/meredithduran.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">About the author:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Meredith Duran <span style="color: black;"> is the author of ten previous novels, including <i>The Duke of Shadows</i> (winner of the Gather.com First Chapters Romance Writing Competition); <i>Wicked Becomes You </i>(included on the Woman’s World List of Best Beach Reads for Summer 2010), and the <i>USA TODAY</i> bestseller and RITA Award Winner <i>Fool Me Twice</i>. She blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history, and for convincing her that princely love is no prize if it doesn’t come with a happily-ever-after. She enjoys collecting old etiquette manuals, guidebooks to nineteenth-century London, and travelogues by intrepid Victorian women. Visit her at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://meredithduran.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNGZqO7-SzEi_XJodnSxTwYgpcr5gw" href="http://meredithduran.com/" target="_blank">MeredithDuran.com</a>,</span> on Twitter <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://twitter.com/meredithduran&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNFT7xT3xuBxjHlBdYYHLL9Io1p4ZA" href="https://twitter.com/meredithduran" target="_blank"> @meredithduran</a> and Facebook <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMeredithDuran/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNGOh1vADXYR6ojKY3nTmbGJcCw1eg" href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMeredithDuran/" target="_blank"> AuthorMeredithDuran</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Reckless Reward:</span></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The twenty starred blogs (*) below will giveaway one set (Reckless Reward!) of three autographed copies in the Rules for the Reckless series: <i>Fool Me Twice</i>, <i>Lady Be Good</i>, and <i>Luck Be A Lady</i>. You can enter on all participating sites, but you can only win once. To celebrate the fifth in the series, there will be five Reckless Reward giveaways per day beginning publication day, Tuesday, February 28<sup>th</sup> – Friday, March 3<sup>rd</sup>. U.S. only.</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Blog Tour:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Bookaholics Romance Book Club </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://bookaholicsromancebookclub.weebly.com/meredith-duran.html&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNEB-n754q-fvDhrARWG6VdUi_4kmg" href="http://bookaholicsromancebookclub.weebly.com/meredith-duran.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">INTERVIEW WITH MEREDITH DURAN</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> and </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://bookaholicsromancebookclub.weebly.com/contests.html&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNGG53LoyLwiKZ5YcBK3GENH9U4cFQ" href="http://bookaholicsromancebookclub.weebly.com/contests.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">GIVEAWAY</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sunday, February 26<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://nikbooklover.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNGaGV1YwKdHtgPdnqSBANR-FtDyxw" href="https://nikbooklover.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Nikbooklovers Blog</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Monday, February 27<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://booksforherreviews.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNFHpzx2VH_jMwrOuvcqPMqnwlQyVw" href="https://booksforherreviews.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Books for Her</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Tuesday, February 28<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.theromancedish.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNHxYgcoDLhaWFAdRcttL35cfVDOMw" href="http://www.theromancedish.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Romance Dish</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://canadianbookaddict.blogspot.ca/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNF9cetAQuz2oiSK1jBj77ZJwgYNvA" href="http://canadianbookaddict.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Canadian Book Addict</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.justanothernewblog.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547098000&usg=AFQjCNF8oi8pb5NtjG7wk-J_vAYKz0eGOg" href="http://www.justanothernewblog.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Just Another New Blog</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://top10romancebooks.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNEdJpTxMXnyy7DP-6ZxukrhRDT_iw" href="http://top10romancebooks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Top 10 Romance Books</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.unabridgedchick.net/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNH0Do74yqecUVZNPZjy-HJ8bYTccg" href="http://www.unabridgedchick.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Unabridged Chick</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.buriedunderromance.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNHLRz_xVWjR0iF7E5AHxPJidM74aw" href="http://www.buriedunderromance.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Buried Under Romance</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://dearauthor.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNHAknixNViOUst3c-XWLaDsGI1sRQ" href="http://dearauthor.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Dear Author</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://tootsbookreviews.blogspot.com/?zx%3Dccb85ae46e8987d9&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNGJV-NOlJl2zAn_BPAqVzwWOghFjA" href="http://tootsbookreviews.blogspot.com/?zx=ccb85ae46e8987d9" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Toot’s Book Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> – Feature</span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://ilprofumodellepergamene.blogspot.co.uk/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNGuXU2N2SN5pt8WRULDq6cc-QZ7NQ" href="http://ilprofumodellepergamene.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Il Profumo delle Pergamene</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://linottemelodieuse.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNHFtLI_fdgZJWG31qFsFCRBBhCxNg" href="https://linottemelodieuse.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Marvelous Things</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNFOJIN54SMRjJ-6wOOl-sFUZm2KBg" href="http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">My Book Addiction and More</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Wednesday, March 1<sup>st</sup></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNFmSuPLhnt4FWRyLpLoYh7tWBZAHQ" href="http://booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Book Nerd</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://reviewsbycacb.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNGTsjayk92tcNzSyjhoqRIgkel1ig" href="http://reviewsbycacb.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Reviews by Crystal</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://allaboutromance.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNFVkYH1sv1TSnfUzxch3G9FovvRPQ" href="http://allaboutromance.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">All About Romance</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://eileendandashi.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNHzrhwlH-BnNl-r4Hd_p30b83jiEQ" href="https://eileendandashi.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Booktalk with Eileen</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.wesonerdy.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNHYNF5CZLds7_bU4mB_yKjUGDlkUw" href="http://www.wesonerdy.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">We So Nerdy</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://rosesareblue.net/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNEolzbWnEATbKgxYBPr41qEnp6R6A" href="https://rosesareblue.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Roses Are Blue</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNEQQlqy1HYs0aAY4jK4KxTfgTA4-A" href="http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">In the Hammock</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://feedingmyaddictionbookreviews.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNF9Pf3ubBFZimihIpIk7fGdJnXmaA" href="https://feedingmyaddictionbookreviews.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Feeding My Addiction Book Reviews</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> – Spotlight</span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://sissymaereads.blogspot.com/?zx%3Daf51178b107d8d50&source=gmail&ust=1488480547102000&usg=AFQjCNE8uRBrcSmnDzq6srYdH0sR3i_zEA" href="http://sissymaereads.blogspot.com/?zx=af51178b107d8d50" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Romance Book Reviews for You</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Thursday, March 2<sup>nd</sup></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://iam-indeed.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNHMUqXB43exhxI6509aXhN4HizCKw" href="http://iam-indeed.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I am, Indeed</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://amidlifewife.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNGOZ5D8GBf-xzP--E3TWFGpmaj9oA" href="http://amidlifewife.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">A Midlife Wife</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://literarygossip.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNE6QaTbDHbPJ8Iz41AFq9NR7LWSFQ" href="https://literarygossip.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Literary Gossip</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNGcrD0yNsuZaHNc1xlOF7WDmsofiw" href="http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Undeniably Book Nerdy</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.dewonthekudzu.net/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNGKWnrIExAg0j-HU5q7Fo8Mi0u3cg" href="http://www.dewonthekudzu.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Dew On The Kudzu</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://booksandbeautyaremybag.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNFk0U8C9n5bYhNU0HdhRMrMKWEpTw" href="https://booksandbeautyaremybag.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Books and Beauty Are My Bag</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://ebookobsessed.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNF4rQZOkUt-ala3aZetAEzy4lt9wg" href="http://ebookobsessed.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Ebook Obsessed</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://abigailbooksaddiction.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNEqKF6sQE1gNXF7LBMonjomBL246Q" href="http://abigailbooksaddiction.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Abigail Books Addiction</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://dirtygirlromance.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNGAfqaZmddyVmUyXL2sTs1B8aP0KQ" href="http://dirtygirlromance.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Dirty Girl Romance</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> - Spotlight</span></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.bookhounds.net/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNFP7nZ4gCNX5tWT7dvdISRHgw_MBg" href="http://www.bookhounds.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Bookhounds</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> – Q&A</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair/2017/03/03/the-librarian-welcomes-historical-romance-author-meredith-duran&source=gmail&ust=1488480547106000&usg=AFQjCNEMHualfrG2YPfrWJNRsjP_PdYbkA" href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair/2017/03/03/the-librarian-welcomes-historical-romance-author-meredith-duran" target="_blank">Authors on the Air Global Radio Network – An Interview with The Librarian, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_620849918"><span class="aQJ">9:00 pm ET</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.facebook.com/events/871983529609236/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547109000&usg=AFQjCNGABV7aREP8BnSjr6v0lZ63HfFLhA" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/871983529609236/" target="_blank">Authors on the Air Global Radio Network – Facebook Event</a></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Friday, March 3<sup>rd</sup></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://steelergirl83.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547110000&usg=AFQjCNExzrzfhjae0P9iIxWC4mrRYfrFcg" href="http://steelergirl83.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Black ‘N Gold Girl’s Book Spot</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://jojothebookaholic.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547110000&usg=AFQjCNFxJ8FcW_4VuYYMEpbPsJjH4YOvQQ" href="http://jojothebookaholic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">JoJo the Bookaholic</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://sportochicksmusings.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547110000&usg=AFQjCNGfdmt-Zqq_bfOKVgDcD8YS1XH9zA" href="http://sportochicksmusings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sportochick’s Musings</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thereadingwench.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547110000&usg=AFQjCNF1ySXDcXlp0Fv8GP_PYfZVMTYVqg" href="http://thereadingwench.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Reading Wench</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">*</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.gotfiction.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547110000&usg=AFQjCNE08-ypAkA3pZ9VwN6o5EVl_xKQWQ" href="http://www.gotfiction.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Got Fiction Book Blog</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Saturday, March 4<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sunday, March 5<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mylittlebookcorner.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547110000&usg=AFQjCNFCl9PUIIqNek2wRPXTJ-QLFPT-ZQ" href="http://www.mylittlebookcorner.com/" target="_blank">My Little Book Corner</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Monday, March 6<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547110000&usg=AFQjCNE8WLDzuNVYTY6wU-Rkr-DkHbpI-Q" href="http://thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Reading Frenzy</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> – Spotlight</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Tuesday, March 7<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Wednesday, March 8<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://moonlightrendezvous.com/&source=gmail&ust=1488480547111000&usg=AFQjCNHxD221RfEETj38I3ySY7UQ5t7T-w" href="http://moonlightrendezvous.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Moonlight Rendezvous</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Thursday, March 9<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Friday, March 10<sup>th</sup></span></b></div>
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<b>RECKLESS READ GIVEAWAY!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHR6rVsAff95BBsNWO9EqC-mGHKjePi5DHkOLTHnqgwf7p8T-WkdJ8hsTyZAd7MpJR0cUN9qDAyYip6hGGfF4PLJjKDlV0mfzWyEOpmMKsqCrDYYaNhAu0tTPV3rxU4FbTj5aHJrtj38/s1600/foolmetwice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHR6rVsAff95BBsNWO9EqC-mGHKjePi5DHkOLTHnqgwf7p8T-WkdJ8hsTyZAd7MpJR0cUN9qDAyYip6hGGfF4PLJjKDlV0mfzWyEOpmMKsqCrDYYaNhAu0tTPV3rxU4FbTj5aHJrtj38/s1600/foolmetwice.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
One lucky In the Hammock reader will win an autographed copy of Meredith's previous book, "Fool Me Twice"! </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Contest Rules: One winner wins an autographed copy of "Fool Me Twice". Must be 18 to enter, US only. Complete Rafflecopter form to enter. Ends March 7 at midnight.</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="7c6eb14c101" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7c6eb14c101/" id="rcwidget_mh1g8zx4" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for this post</span>Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-40813154224782721432017-02-27T23:41:00.000-05:002017-02-27T23:46:07.666-05:00"How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days" Excerpt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To celebrate the release of Kerrelyn Sparks' newest novel, "How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days", I am happy to feature an excerpt from the book! Read on for more info about the book and the excerpt!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoa4cbZpaqSoSlXcXPJmeAVLqyK2P6Mkjv77cI1e98AoTRPGVu2ezFQ-1onFvtbNiB3FKwSuu-Yuu6oNAHj0sg5Gz9GCSnN9LlD3tSKLoN2V8135a4TamavENRuNE3__BBHfdLWerS6pI/s1600/How+to+Tame+a+Beast_cover+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoa4cbZpaqSoSlXcXPJmeAVLqyK2P6Mkjv77cI1e98AoTRPGVu2ezFQ-1onFvtbNiB3FKwSuu-Yuu6oNAHj0sg5Gz9GCSnN9LlD3tSKLoN2V8135a4TamavENRuNE3__BBHfdLWerS6pI/s1600/How+to+Tame+a+Beast_cover+image.jpg" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-a1d231be-82fc-fe9b-0757-5fd304f505b0" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HOW TO TAME A BEAST IN SEVEN DAYS: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Embraced Series</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Kerrelyn Sparks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**On Sale March 7, 2017**</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mass Market Paperback | $7.99 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ISBN: 9781250108210| Ebook ISBN: 9781250108227</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29875893-how-to-tame-a-beast-in-seven-days">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29875893-how-to-tame-a-beast-in-seven-days</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kerrelyn Spark’s previous series, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Love at Stake,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> constantly hit the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> bestseller list and created a massive fan following for her witty vampires. With the end of her vampire series, comes the start of an extraordinary new fantasy romance series called </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Embraced</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> beginning with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HOW TO TAME A BEAST IN SEVEN DAYS (St. Martin’s Paperbacks; March 7, 2017)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Set in a medieval mythical world, the series explores a special group of people with powers born when the two moons of the world form an eclipse. In the start of the series we meet Luciana, who can speak to the dead, and the Beast of Benwick who can controlling lightening. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Luciana grew up on the Isle of Moon, hidden away because of her magical powers. But when her father arrives, he offers her a choice: remain on the island or return with him and marry the Beast of Benwick in order to save their legacy - and her father's life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lord Leofric, the Beast of Benwick, has not been touched since he was a child. Born with the power to harness lightning, he is a danger to everyone he touches. When he meets his betrothed, he expects a loveless, lonely marriage...until he discovers she's vastly more powerful than he realized. But is she strong enough to withstand his touch?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If they can survive, their love will alter the future of the kingdom. But will their extraordinary powers cost them everything?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Filled with romance, humor, and a beautifully imagined new world, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HOW TO TAME A BEAST IN SEVEN DAYS</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a fantasy in the vein of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Game of Thrones</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> with all the fun of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Princess Bride</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Luciana is a vibrant leading lady that will have readers rooting for her spunk and devotion to her family while the Beast is a swoon worthy hero worth taming.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">About the Author</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">KERRELYN SPARKS is the New York Times bestselling author of the Love at Stake series. Visit her online at <a href="http://www.kerrelynsparks.com/">www.kerrelynsparks.com</a>.</span></div>
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EXCERPT: <br />
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Chapter Four<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
As Leo and his companions rode north, the rain began, and the rolling green landscape gave way to increasingly taller hills. Their horses went at full gallop, eating up the miles before the rain could turn the dirt road into a sea of mud.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
By the time they passed the second beacon, the rain was pounding on them. Their uniforms were drenched, their hair plastered to their heads. The hills had become moun- tains, and flocks of sheep huddled in the narrow glens where a few trees could give them shelter.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thunder clapped overhead, and Leo spotted the first flash of lightning to the west. Good. He was going to need all the power he could get. Normal people didn’t stand a chance against the winged creatures that breathed fire. People like his father.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo had heard the story many times over a campfire. His father’s last battle had been against the Norveshki. Cedric had plowed through a dozen of their fierce warriors, but when a dragon had attacked, all his bravery and expertise had been in vain.</div>
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Another flash of lightning, this one a little closer. Leo would need to break off from the group soon. As they</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
neared the village, a mountain loomed to the right, topped with craggy cliffs and a beacon tower. It was Mount Bae- dan, which the village was named after. He spotted a cliff that overlooked the village. That was the perfect place.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“My lord.” Nevis drew his attention to a horseman charg- ing toward them. A scout.</div>
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Leo and his companions slowed to a stop. “Report,” he said, loud enough to be heard over the pouring rain.</div>
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The scout bowed his head, causing a puddle of rain to slosh off the brim of his cap onto his chest. “Four drag- ons from Norveshka have attacked the village of Mount Baedan.”</div>
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“No warriors?” Leo asked.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“None, my lord. Just the dragons. They swooped into the valley and set the village ablaze to force the people from their homes. While the villagers ran to a nearby cave, two of the dragons captured two small children and flew away.”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo stiffened, his hands tightening on the reins, as the men around him cursed under their breaths. Ten years ago, the dragons had started snatching sheep. Now they were nabbing small children.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He glanced westward, hoping to see another flash of lightning streak across the sky. He needed the power now. “The rain put out the fires,” the scout continued. “The villagers are starting to leave the cave. A group of men</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
rode out, hoping to rescue the two children.”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo swallowed hard as bile rose up his throat. The res- cue attempt would be in vain. Men on horseback could not cross the mountains as fast as a dragon could fly.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thunder cracked overhead so loud, the men flinched. “Ride on to the village,” Leo shouted at them. “The last</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
two dragons could still be close by. I’ll take care of them. You protect the people.” He turned his horse and started up the slope of Mount Baedan.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Higher and higher his horse climbed, but eventually the path became too muddy. Leo dismounted and patted the horse, the quilted material now drenched through.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“Go join the others.” He gave the horse a slap on the rump, and it started down the mountain.</div>
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Leo abandoned the muddy path that snaked back and forth up the mountainside. Instead, he scrambled straight up the rocky slope. He was halfway up when a bolt of lightning shot from the sky and struck the ground thirty yards away, blasting a boulder into bits.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Yes! The lightning had found him and was zeroing in. Energy from the blast rolled toward him, seeking him out in waves he couldn’t see, but could feel. His skin tingled. His hair, which had been plastered to his head, now crack- led as it lifted into the air.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thunder boomed overhead, sending another wave of energy toward him. It slithered under his damp clothes, giving him a slight shock. Then an increase in power. And speed. He charged up the mountainside faster than any human could go.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anticipation swelled inside him as he reached the first set of cliffs. Another lightning bolt ripped through the sky, this one hitting only fifteen yards away. It blasted through the rocks, causing the cliff to crumble away. As the ledge beneath his feet trembled, he ran and leaped.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He landed on the next cliff six feet away as thunder cracked and the first cliff tumbled down the mountainside. More energy surged into him, and he scrambled higher up the mountain. Faster. In a race against the next strike.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He reached the highest cliff. Nearby on the mountain summit, the beacon tower stood, deserted in the storm, its flame long smothered by the rain. The village lay nestled in the valley far below. He spotted houses built of stone with their thatched roofs burned away. The chapel of En- lightenment partially destroyed. The village lookout tower stood as high as the chapel bell tower and was manned by a lone villager. No doubt, he was keeping an eye out for the last two dragons.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nevis and his troop arrived, and the villagers poured from their homes to welcome them. Leo winced at the sight of small children running about. Dammit, Nevis, get them back into the cave.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A rumbling noise echoed through the valley, sounding much like thunder, but Leo knew better. It was the beat- ing of dragon wings. The last two dragons had waited for the people to reappear.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo ripped off his gloves and threw them down, along with his bow and quiver. Then he drew his sword and pointed it to the sky. “Now!”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Lightning broke through the dark clouds, racing toward him. He widened his stance and braced for impact. It struck his sword, fracturing so that a dozen smaller streaks shot off in a circle around him.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The major portion of the lightning sizzled down his sword, eager to reach his flesh. It hit his bare hand and jolted him so hard he fell to his knees and dropped the sword. The dozen fractured shards rebounded, drawn to him like a magnet. They pounded into him, jerking him back and forth. Thunder cracked over him so loud his ears rang.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Power surged through him, so fierce and scorching he thought his skin would melt, his guts would boil, and his head burst like a kernel of corn dropped into a fire. Pain and power, power and pain, he could no longer tell the dif- ference. He only knew he wanted it, wanted to drink it in, soak it up, and claim it all.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The fiery torture eased to a warm, buzzing sensation, and he found himself on all fours, gasping for air. How many times had he endured this? And it still hurt like hell. He rested back on his knees and splayed his hands in front of him. Sparks skittered around his fingers like a host of fireflies.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Good, but not enough. The Beast wanted more.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He grabbed his sword and hefted himself to his feet. “More, dammit!” He lifted his sword in the air.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Lightning struck again, driving him to his knees and knocking the sword from his grip. He cried out as both pain and power ripped through him. Nevis was right. Someday he would explode.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thunder cracked around him as if he’d become the cen- ter of the storm. His ears grew numb, only hearing the buzz of energy pulsing around him. This time, when he examined his hands, streaks shot out a few yards. Not enough to kill a dragon.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He fumbled for his sword once again. Nevis’s question reverberated in his head, bouncing off the inside of his skull. Do you enjoy courting death? Over the years, he’d found he could take in more power each time, but what was the limit? How would he know when it was too much?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He stumbled to his feet and slowly lifted the sword. When he had the weapon only waist-high, the lightning streaked toward him. Like a desperate lover, it pounced, not even waiting till he was fully cocked. It struck hard, flinging him through the air into the wall behind him. His head cracked against stone, and he crumpled into a heap.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Rain splattered on his face, keeping him conscious. The pain was merely the price he paid for the ability to protect his people. The pain would be fleeting.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The power he could keep for months.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He rose to his feet. If he were normal, he’d have suf- fered a concussion and some broken bones. Hell, if he were normal, he’d be dead. But instead, he swelled with strength and power. Tiny streaks of lightning swirled around him so fast, he appeared to glow.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He strode to the edge of the cliff to see what was happening. The dragons were flying low, probably to avoid the lightning. They swooped down at the screaming villagers, herding them away from the cave. Making them easy to prey upon.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With the superfast speed he now possessed, Leo pulled a length of coiled rope from his sword belt and tied one end loosely to a tree deeply rooted in the rock wall of the cliff. The other end, he tied to one of his metal arrows. He grabbed his metal bow, nocked the arrow, and imbued them with some of his energy. Now, when he shot the arrow, it would fly faster and farther.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He aimed for the lookout tower and let the arrow fly. It whistled through the air and struck the top wooden beam of the tower, embedded deep. Continuing at his fast speed, Leo tightened the rope, tossed his bow and quiver over his shoulder, sheathed his sword, then looped the sword belt over the rope. He ran to the cliff’s edge and pushed off.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Hanging on to the belt, he careened down the length of the rope. Just before crashing into the tower, he swung his legs up and over the top beam and landed on the top plat- form. The lone villager gaped at him.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“Go!” he shouted. With lightning sizzling around him like a golden nimbus, he didn’t need to speak twice.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The villager scrambled down the ladder, yelling that the Beast had arrived.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After dropping his sword belt on the platform, Leo quickly readied another arrow and pivoted, searching for the dragons. Even though it was possible for him to sim- ply shoot a lightning bolt from his hand, he’d learned from experience that raw power didn’t always go exactly where he wanted it to go. Since there was a chance of hitting in- nocent bystanders or setting their homes on fire, he pre- ferred to use a metal arrow imbued with his power so he could control the force and trajectory.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There, through a steady sheet of rain, a pair of red,glowing eyes was glaring at him. The dragon was perched on the bell tower of the chapel. It sat up, expanding its chest, a sure sign it was about to breathe fire.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo released enough energy to make sparks pop and crackle around the metal arrow. When he shot it, the ar- row would fly with enough speed and power that it would actually pierce the dragon’s scaly skin and release an elec- tric shock wave through the creature’s body.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He aimed for the dragon’s chest, but just as he let the arrow fly, the dragon pushed off, flying straight at him. Fire erupted from the dragon’s mouth, forcing him to drop flat onto the platform. Flames shot over him, missing him by a few inches. Meanwhile, the arrow hit the dragon’s hip.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sparks spread from the arrow, jerking the dragon around in midair. It shrieked, then shot up into the sky and turned north toward Norveshka. Leo notched an arrow to shoot again, but screams below made him look down.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The second dragon had grabbed a child. “Nevis!” Leo shouted. “Catch it!”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nevis spurred his horse and galloped after the dragon. It was gaining altitude, now higher than the rooftops of the houses.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo sent a surge of energy into his bow and arrow and aimed, trying to keep a safe distance from the child. The arrow zipped through the air. Direct hit to the dragon’s tail. Sparks exploded around the wound, racing up the dragon’s body, and it jolted, bellowing in pain and dropping the child. A dress flapped in the wind. It was a little girl.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nevis charged onward as she tumbled from the sky. Villagers screamed, then let loose a round of cheers as Nevis managed to catch her.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The dragon flew away, filling the sky with an angry roar.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo lowered his bow and arrow and watched through the rain as the villagers crowded around Nevis. The little girl was safely deposited in the arms of her crying mother. Nevis glanced back at Leo and gave him a thumbs- up before being dragged off his horse by a swarm of happy villagers.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With a cheer, the villagers led Nevis and his men into the cave. Boys led the horses, including Leo’s horse, to the stables. Women dashed into their homes to gather cups and jugs of beer and wine. A few men rushed into a nearby pen to slaughter a lamb. Leo wasn’t sure if the village was cel- ebrating the rescue of one child or drowning their sor- rows for the two who were lost, but clearly they intended to partake of food and drink. And even more clearly, it was a celebration he could not attend.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He glanced at his hands. Sparks still shimmered around his fingers. One false move, and lightning would streak from his fingertips, possibly killing someone. He’d been in such a hurry he’d left his gloves on the cliff. With a sigh, he picked up his sword belt, then buckled it on.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The rain was still pelting him, so he climbed down the ladder to a second platform just below. Drops of rain leaked between the wooden planks overhead, and the wind blew more rain at him, but it was an improvement. He sat in the driest corner and rested his back against a wooden pillar. For a short while, because he had released so much energy, he would feel all right. But soon the pain would start again.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He spotted two men rolling a cask toward the cave. The villagers must have run out of beer. Sounds of laughter emanated from the cave. Soon he could smell the scent of a lamb roasting over a fire. His stomach grumbled. A quick search of his pockets came up empty.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With a sigh, he leaned his head against the pillar. Alone again. It was always this way. He was too damned dan- gerous to be near anyone. Even Nevis had learned to stay away from him when he had this much power.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He closed his eyes as a memory flitted across his mind. The first time lightning had found him, he’d been only five years old. One strike had sent him flying, and he’d crum- pled onto the ground, twitching uncontrollably. His nanny had run to him. Calling out to him, she’d touched his face. Then a surge of energy had shot through her, and she’d col- lapsed beside him dead.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
His first victim. Someone he’d dearly loved.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“I didn’t mean to . . .” Leo whispered, the sound whisked away with the wind. “Forgive me.”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Since then, everyone had known to keep their distance. And if a stranger didn’t know, he soon learned when he heard the new name Leo had been given.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Never touch the Beast.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Never let the Beast touch you.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The rain continued to fall. The energy inside him spread throughout his body, expanding, rebelling against the nar- row confines of his human shell, demanding to be released and used. Not now. He had to keep as much power as pos- sible so it would be available whenever he needed it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The sun lowered in the sky, and the wind became more chilled against his wet clothes. He welcomed the cold. It made it easier to deal with the energy boiling inside him, threatening to escape like steam from a kettle.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The strains of a pipe and fiddle came from the cave. The people were dancing, their music accentuating the thud- ding rhythm in his head. The energy kept expanding, push- ing against the inner walls of his skull, pushing so hard he expected to hear the sound of bone cracking. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth against the pain.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sometimes he thought this was the worst part about his gift. The headaches would torture him until either he re- leased some power or it managed to escape on its own.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“My lord?” a female voice spoke below.</div>
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He opened his eyes. On the ground by the ladder, a....</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">disclosure: I received an e-copy of the book in exchange for this post</span></div>
Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-22611232338774298592017-02-16T15:54:00.002-05:002017-02-16T15:54:32.193-05:00"Her Sweetest Fortune" Blog Tour and Author Recipe<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ4aXk8fwGKyV8kPhWqqjyEAxRhhqHOPhWRDvSE_jN_2xpUBkO7Qy5JqvObcUDuUlkYfgNd88VF-niFyZTKWAX20BN1uGMaIkhIhTr5oDyagAQSdcMD25ohh9uRVUf5aG6b_3z_VEIY8/s1600/valentineblogtour2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJ4aXk8fwGKyV8kPhWqqjyEAxRhhqHOPhWRDvSE_jN_2xpUBkO7Qy5JqvObcUDuUlkYfgNd88VF-niFyZTKWAX20BN1uGMaIkhIhTr5oDyagAQSdcMD25ohh9uRVUf5aG6b_3z_VEIY8/s1600/valentineblogtour2.jpg" /></a></div>
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As part of the February Harlequin Blog Tour, I'm featuring a family recipe from Stella Bagwell, author of "Her Sweetest Fortune" out this month from Harlequin! Check out the book and the recipe below!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCgy6NSV0hPHQ25h9Ylz-sUVUGL7orzd_R5pkPIViK-BrstOAVL4P1l8iM94otmhSNgPVPmZZIERVh-hIk_qu55BqSuNOsnoZHwuIU-j-Bmb8jWLT0gtlKUkt8uwQZcGALR0Ns0Rcc8w/s1600/hersweetestfortune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCgy6NSV0hPHQ25h9Ylz-sUVUGL7orzd_R5pkPIViK-BrstOAVL4P1l8iM94otmhSNgPVPmZZIERVh-hIk_qu55BqSuNOsnoZHwuIU-j-Bmb8jWLT0gtlKUkt8uwQZcGALR0Ns0Rcc8w/s1600/hersweetestfortune.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>HER SWEETEST FORTUNE</b><br />
<b>by USA Today bestselling author </b><br />
<b>Stella Bagwell</b><br />
Harlequin Special Edition; January 17, 2017<br />
$5.75 U.S.; 224 Pages<br />
ISBN-978-0-373-623266<br />
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Sophie Fortune Robinson is on a mission. The word around the office watercooler is that the boss's youngest daughter is intent on landing Mr. Right by Valentine's Day—and that she has her eyes, and heart, set on a certain hunk in Marketing. <br />
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But when she enlists her longtime pal and coworker Mason Montgomery to teach her how to get a man to notice her, little does she know she's already captured his attention! <br />
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Now Mason's in a real bind! He has just a few short weeks to fight his way out of the "friend zone." On his agenda: convincing sweet Sophie that he is the real man of her dreams! Will Fortune smile on true love's venture?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14YF3kL6ITc65wPi5SP7QlpGTq0wOv-wWJxgPB2fNF4s1-lU8u4GEqcuMmWVZeifgYrnhwYibnUGEtgL9FN-7TjVaYyDkCoXdEHC9lY7sAr9LCMekd0k4Sml7ZpnUW2qhk5RA3og-rGw/s1600/stellabagwell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14YF3kL6ITc65wPi5SP7QlpGTq0wOv-wWJxgPB2fNF4s1-lU8u4GEqcuMmWVZeifgYrnhwYibnUGEtgL9FN-7TjVaYyDkCoXdEHC9lY7sAr9LCMekd0k4Sml7ZpnUW2qhk5RA3og-rGw/s1600/stellabagwell.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>STELLA BAGWELL</b> is a USA Today bestselling author who has written close to 90 books for Harlequin. She lives on the Texas Gulf coast with her husband, where the winters are mild and the summers sweltering. Along with her writing, she stays busy helping her husband care for their 10 horses, 11 cats, and a flock of gulls that always seem to know when it's feeding time! <br />
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kBGPFj_JauW3zRKuyBJ74xH7NFTziG63To7i0FeUwsxxE6mHggMuBLjRDPx2xlpHP6k68ZvKWIcq5CBOhPNG7n6bojKywecMIhssLkqiLKHWwHkyA7pliYkIS_nckPz4NaMccRrqrqS3TE-mag" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="T:\Harlequin 2017\Harlequin Feb 2017\IMG_1387 Stella.JPG" border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kBGPFj_JauW3zRKuyBJ74xH7NFTziG63To7i0FeUwsxxE6mHggMuBLjRDPx2xlpHP6k68ZvKWIcq5CBOhPNG7n6bojKywecMIhssLkqiLKHWwHkyA7pliYkIS_nckPz4NaMccRrqrqS3TE-mag" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" /></a></div>
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<b>Bon Appétit and a Book: </b>A special Valentine's Day recipe from Stella Bagwell!<br />
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Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be complete without something chocolate! Here’s a cake recipe that my family enjoys.<br />
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Buttermilk Cocoa Cake<br />
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2 cups sugar, ¾ cup shortening, 2&1/2 cups flour, ½ cup cocoa, 2 teaspoons soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup boiling water.<br />
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Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture. Add vanilla and water. Pour batter into 13/9 inch pan, or if you prefer layers, two 9 inch pans and bake at 350 degrees until cake springs back when touched.<br />
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Frosting<br />
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4 cups confectioner sugar, 6 Tbs. cold butter, ½ tsp. vanilla, ¼ tsp. salt, ¼ scant cup milk. Whip with mixer until creamy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kfQZwmP8iudTy-eH8Rp-Rrl4htNyF2LvpCKCKwFZ2DepPyjtsF5ASb1-ii0rrOzr9MD88Xp5xX43MBXdNRisrnvfSd_JeaaOiNvs3kNdH6tM41n3MhPlD18gkDn4zDjmIVzcJvH2LEQ/s1600/valentineblogtour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kfQZwmP8iudTy-eH8Rp-Rrl4htNyF2LvpCKCKwFZ2DepPyjtsF5ASb1-ii0rrOzr9MD88Xp5xX43MBXdNRisrnvfSd_JeaaOiNvs3kNdH6tM41n3MhPlD18gkDn4zDjmIVzcJvH2LEQ/s1600/valentineblogtour.jpg" /></a></div>
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Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for this post.</div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-65e62af1-48aa-8bab-756e-a0cc91100966" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> </span>Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-44110908802678098492017-02-13T21:22:00.002-05:002017-02-13T21:22:16.451-05:00Harlequin Valentine's Day Giveaway! <div style="text-align: center;">
Hi everyone!! Happy Valentine's Day! To celebrate, the awesome people at Harlequin are giving one lucky reader of In the Hammock an amazing prize package of Valentine's Day reads!!</div>
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Included are</div>
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"Forged in Desire" by Brenda Jackson</div>
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"The Last Di Sione Claims His Prize" by Maisey Yates</div>
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"Her Sweetest Fortune" by Stella Bagwell</div>
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"Courting the Cowboy by Carolyne Aarsen</div>
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"Rough and Tumble" by Rhenna Morgan -Digital copy</div>
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A Fringe Studio Water Studies Sunrise Square Soap </div>
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Heart Stud Pouch!</div>
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Contest Rules: One winner wins the entire prize package. Must be 18 to enter, US and Canada only. Complete Rafflecopter form to enter.<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="7c6eb14c100" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7c6eb14c100/" id="rcwidget_uiifd8i2" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">disclosure: I will recieve a prize pack in exchange for this post.</span><br />
<br />Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-58225624537729105062016-12-19T06:00:00.000-05:002016-12-19T06:00:29.851-05:00"The Trouble with Dukes" Tour and Giveaway<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-11ba53f1-0ec1-a2db-db8a-f95e8fc48812" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Title: THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author: Grace Burrowes</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Series: Windham Brides, #1</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On Sale: December 20, 2016</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Forever</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mass Market: $7.99 USD</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eBook: $6.99 USD</span></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/2hsagl0" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Add to Goodreads</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This first novel in a new Regency series from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">USA Today</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> bestselling author Grace Burrowes is a spinoff of her highly popular Windham series.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">THEY CALL HIM THE DUKE OF MURDER...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The gossips whisper that the new Duke of Murdoch is a brute, a murderer, and even worse—a Scot. They say he should never be trusted alone with a woman. But Megan Windham sees in Hamish something different, someone different.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">No one was fiercer at war than Hamish MacHugh, though now the soldier faces a whole new battlefield: a London Season. To make his sisters happy, he'll take on any challenge—even letting their friend Miss Windham teach him to waltz. Megan isn't the least bit intimidated by his dark reputation, but Hamish senses that she's fighting battles of her own. For her, he'll become the warrior once more, and for her, he might just lose his heart.</span></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/2hCnXOU" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Listen to Chapter 1 of the audiobook!</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">AUTHORS LOVE THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The hero of THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES reminds me of Mary Balogh's charming men, and the heroine brings to mind Sarah MacLean's intelligent, fiery women... This is a wonderfully funny, moving romance, not to be missed!” —Eloisa James, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">bestselling author of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My American Duchess</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Grace Burrowes writes from the heart--with warmth, humor, and a generous dash of sensuality, her stories are unputdownable! If you're not reading Grace Burrowes you're missing the very best in today's Regency Romance!” —Elizabeth Hoyt, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> bestselling author</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Sexy heroes, strong heroines, intelligent plots, enchanting love stories...Grace Burrowes's romances have them all.” —Mary Balogh, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> bestselling author</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES has everything Grace Burrowes's many fans have come to adore: a swoonworthy hero, a strong heroine, humor, and passion. Her characters not only know their own hearts, but share them with fearless joy. Grace Burrowes is a romance treasure.” —Tessa Dare, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> bestselling author</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES is captivating! It has everything I love in a book--a sexy Scotsman, a charming heroine, witty banter, plenty of humor, and lots of heart.” —Jennifer Ashley, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> bestselling author of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpOZ_RDTq6mw_GN_a2dOzRWndb5eux_-YXOMhjlaUG_Ln4oqKIIrLsp7cP5Yfwtg7VpTkxY5rXNgQ7EoyhkkkCRuQ8JMGbiutGtHhezD9JxECUse2zzsdtSf7R3KNNIth0-4aU2adkCs/s1600/trouble5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpOZ_RDTq6mw_GN_a2dOzRWndb5eux_-YXOMhjlaUG_Ln4oqKIIrLsp7cP5Yfwtg7VpTkxY5rXNgQ7EoyhkkkCRuQ8JMGbiutGtHhezD9JxECUse2zzsdtSf7R3KNNIth0-4aU2adkCs/s1600/trouble5.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">THE SERIES </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Trouble With Dukes, #1</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Too Scot To Handle, #2</span></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/2gTcV6z" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Series Page on Goodreads</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjTrw9FF3YUng9vNngbhl3Z4tpT238RK7qEYsRDte2lgjKEUgwZ4mYqAv7I_2QQdSNKdiYq8lF2h8aJzXVybipKxIQXNu83ZhpsOjzq_k2xo1ocfpS-L_5EVlMv7jzNkZD_oh9E6bwo0/s1600/graceburrowes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjTrw9FF3YUng9vNngbhl3Z4tpT238RK7qEYsRDte2lgjKEUgwZ4mYqAv7I_2QQdSNKdiYq8lF2h8aJzXVybipKxIQXNu83ZhpsOjzq_k2xo1ocfpS-L_5EVlMv7jzNkZD_oh9E6bwo0/s320/graceburrowes.jpg" width="187" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grace Burrowes grew up in central Pennsylvania and is the sixth out of seven children. She discovered romance novels when in junior high (back when there was such a thing), and has been reading them voraciously ever since. Grace has a bachelor's degree in political science, a bachelor of music in music history, (both from Pennsylvania State University); a master's degree in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University; and a juris doctor from the National Law Center at the George Washington University.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grace writes Georgian, Regency, Scottish Victorian, and contemporary romances in both novella and novel lengths. She's a member of Romance Writers of America, and enjoys giving workshops and speaking at writers' conferences. She also loves to hear from her readers, and can be reached through her website or her social channels.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBodo4oH1PCa9y9ITojqZRmlVhSanQi3iPC-f8KiTK_JDOwt5SIpWZWudI6TZbLqEPGbFwou611DjRzWQCw6zHPRJ9e2-bZuhhseA0ybsKohXsttelexe2As7xwIZy24uD7tZ6g6U4W6E/s1600/trouble4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBodo4oH1PCa9y9ITojqZRmlVhSanQi3iPC-f8KiTK_JDOwt5SIpWZWudI6TZbLqEPGbFwou611DjRzWQCw6zHPRJ9e2-bZuhhseA0ybsKohXsttelexe2As7xwIZy24uD7tZ6g6U4W6E/s320/trouble4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>EXCERPT: </b><br />
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b87986c4-0ec8-95cd-2fe4-3985957fa491" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I don’t want any damned dukedom, Mr. Anderson,” Hamish MacHugh said softly. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Colin MacHugh took to studying the door to Neville Anderson’s office, for when Hamish spoke that quietly, his siblings knew to locate the exits. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The solicitor’s establishment boasted deep Turkey carpets, oak furniture, and red velvet curtains. The standish and ink bottles on Anderson’s desk were silver, the blotter a thick morocco leather. Portraits of well-fed, well-powdered Englishmen adorned the walls. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamish felt as if he’d walked into an ambush, as if these old lords and knights were smirking down at the fool who’d blundered into their midst. Beyond the office walls, harnesses jingled to the tune of London happily about its business, while Hamish’s heart beat with a silent tattoo of dread. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I am at your grace’s service,” Anderson murmured, from his side of the massive desk, “and eager to hear any explanations your grace cares to bestow.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The solicitor, who’d been retained by Hamish’s late grandfather decades before Hamish’s birth, was like a midge. Swat at Anderson, curse him, wave him off, threaten flame and riot, and he still hovered nearby, relentlessly annoying. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The French infantry had had the same qualities. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I am not a bloody your grace,” Hamish said. Thanks be to the clemency of the Almighty. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I do beg your grace’s—your pardon,” Anderson replied, soft white hands folded on his blotter. “Your great-great aunt Minerva married the third son of the fifth Duke of Murdoch and Tingley, and while the English dukedom must, regrettably fall prey to escheat, the Scottish portion of the title, due to the more, er, liberal patents common to Scottish nobility, devolves to yourself.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Devolving was one of those English undertakings that prettied up a load of shite. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamish rose, and for reasons known only to the English, Anderson popped to his feet as well.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Devolve the peregrinating title to some other poor sod,” Hamish said. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Colin’s staring match with the lintel of Anderson’s door had acquired the quality of man trying to hold in a fart—or laughter. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I am sorry, your—sir,” Anderson said, looking about as sorry as Hamish’s sisters on the way to the milliner’s, “but titles land where they please, and there they stay. The only way out from under a title is death, and then your brother here would become duke in your place.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Colin’s smirk winked out like a candle in a gale. “What if I die?” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I believe there are several younger siblings,” Anderson said, “should death befall you both.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“But this title is Hamish’s as long as he’s alive, right?” Colin was not quite as large as Hamish. What little Colin lacked in height, he made up for in brawn and speed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“That is correct,” Anderson said, beaming like headmaster when a dull scholar had finally grasped his first Latin conjugation. “In the normal course, a celebratory tot would be in order, gentlemen. The title does bring responsibilities, but your great-great aunt and her late daughter were excellent businesswomen. I’m delighted to tell you that the Murdoch holdings prosper.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Worse and worse. The gleeful wiggle of Anderson’s eyebrows meant </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">prosper</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> translated into “made a stinking lot of money, much of which would find its way into a solicitor’s greedy English paws.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“If my damned lands prosper, my bachelorhood is doomed,” Hamish muttered. Directly behind Anderson’s desk hung a picture of some duke, and the old fellow’s sour expression spoke eloquently to the disposition a title bestowed on its victim. “I’d sooner face old Boney’s guns again than be landed, titled, wealthy, and unwed at the beginning of London season. Colin, we’re for home by week’s end.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Fine notion,” Colin said. “Except Edana will kill you and Rhona will bury what’s left of you. Then the title will hang about my neck, and I’ll have to dig you up and kill you all over again.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Siblings were God’s joke on a peace-loving man. Anderson had retreated behind his desk, as if a mere half ton of oak could protect a puny English solicitor from a pair of brawling MacHughs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Clever solicitors might be, canny they were not. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Then we simply tell no one about this title,” Hamish said. “We tend to Eddie and Ronnie’s dress shopping, and then we’re away home, nobody the wiser.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dress shopping, Edana had said, as if the only place in the world to procure fashionable clothing was London. She’d cried, she’d raged, she’d threatened to run off—until Colin had saddled her horse and stuffed the saddle bags with provisions. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then she’d threatened to become an old maid, haunting her brothers’ households in turn, and Hamish, on pain of death from his younger brothers, had ordered the traveling coach into service. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Eddie hasn’t found a man yet, and neither has Ronnie,” Colin observed. “They’ve been here less than two weeks. We can’t go home.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“You can’t,” Hamish countered. “I’m the duke. I must see to my properties. I’ll be halfway to Yorkshire by tomorrow. I doubt Eddie and Ronnie will content themselves with Englishmen, but they’re welcome to torment a few in my absence. A bored woman is a dangerous creature.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“You’d leave tomorrow?” Colin slugged Hamish on the arm, hard. Anderson flinched, while Hamish picked up his walking stick and headed for the door. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Your pugilism needs work, little brother. I’ve neglected your education.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“You can’t leave me alone here with Eddie and Ronnie.” Colin had switched to the Gaelic, a fine language for keeping family business from nosy solicitors. “I’m only one man, and there’s two of them. They’ll be making ropes of the bedsheets, selling your good cigars to other young ladies again, and investigating the charms of the damned Englishmen mincing about in the park. Who knows what other titles their indiscriminate choice of husband might inflict on your grandchildren.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamish had not objected to the cigar selling scheme. He’d objected to his sisters stealing from him rather than sharing the proceeds with their own dear brother. He also objected to the notion of grandchildren when he’d yet to take a wife. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I’ll blame </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> if we end up with English brothers-in-law, wee Colin.” Hamish smiled evilly, though he counted a particular few Englishmen among his friends. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A staring match ensued, with Colin trying to look fierce—he had the family red hair and blue eyes, after all—and mostly looking worried. Colin was soft-hearted where the ladies were concerned, and that fact was all that cheered Hamish on an otherwise daunting morning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hope rose, like the clarion call of the pipes through the smoke and noise the battlefield: While Eddie and Ronnie inspected the English peacocks strutting about Mayfair, Hamish might find a peahen willing to take advantage of Colin’s affectionate nature. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Given Colin’s lusty inclinations, the union would be productive inside a year, and the whole sorry business of a ducal succession would be taken care of. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamish’s fist connected with his brother’s shoulder, sending Colin staggering back a few steps, muttering in Gaelic about goats and testicles. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I’ll bide here in the muck pit of civilization,” Hamish said, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">in English</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, “until Eddie and Ronnie have their fripperies, but Anderson, I’m warning you. Nobody is to learn of this dukedom business. Not a soul, or I’ll know which English solicitor needs to make St. Peter’s acquaintance posthaste. Ye ken?” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Anderson nodded, his gaze fixed on Hamish’s right hand. “You will receive correspondence, sir.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamish’s hand hurt and his head was starting to throb. “Try being honest, man. I was in the army. I know all about </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">correspondence</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. By correspondence, you mean a bloody snowstorm of paper, official documents, and sealed instruments.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamish knew about death too, and about sorrow. The part of him hoping to marry Colin off in the next month—and Eddie and Ronnie too—grappled with the vast sorrow of homesickness, and the unease of remaining for even another day among the scented dandies and false smiles of polite society. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Very good, your grace. Of course you’re right. A snowstorm, some of which will be from the College of Arms, some from your peers, some of condolence, all of which my office would be happy—”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamish waved Anderson to silence, and as if Hamish were one of those Hindoo snake pipers, the solicitor’s gaze followed the motion of his hand. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The official documents can’t be helped,” Hamish said, “but letters of condolence needn’t concern anybody. You’re not to say a word,” he reminded Anderson. “Not a peep, not a yes-your-grace, not a hint of an insinuation is to pass your lips.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Anderson was still nodding vigorously when Hamish shoved Colin through the door. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Though, of course, the news was all over Town by morning. </span></div>
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disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for post.<br />
<br />Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-79982333025782707902016-11-22T11:51:00.001-05:002016-11-22T11:53:39.842-05:00Review and Giveaway: "The Dare and the Doctor"<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>THE DARE AND THE DOCTOR</b></div>
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Kate Noble</div>
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Pocket Books</div>
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Pub date: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1897457358" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">November 22, 2016</span></span></div>
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ISBN: 9781476749402</div>
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Price: $7.99</div>
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Mass Market Paperbound</div>
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A Winner Takes All Novel (#3)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiQbBNKY0ZgXixVCK-Zvy4GQcwieZSdW2Nnh01wRj2mxg5S0FVC6PZYiT3YxOxoO_OWey_yFu7iSYwDeg77dqhoHb7QpMrEDWDXEs5-QIPOhiL6Ls1vT0Tv-Nab92KTf44_CWOno5u48/s1600/dareanddoctor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxiQbBNKY0ZgXixVCK-Zvy4GQcwieZSdW2Nnh01wRj2mxg5S0FVC6PZYiT3YxOxoO_OWey_yFu7iSYwDeg77dqhoHb7QpMrEDWDXEs5-QIPOhiL6Ls1vT0Tv-Nab92KTf44_CWOno5u48/s1600/dareanddoctor.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>“</b>A thrilling and absorbing tale about two people who find so much safety in each other that they’re able to take the biggest risk of their lives. Not to be missed.”</div>
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<b>—<i>Kirkus Reviews </i>(STARRED REVIEW, <i>The Dare and the Doctor</i>)<i> </i></b></div>
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“Noble asks “Can men and women just be friends?” in the third Winner Takes All installment, and the answer is an enchanting tale filled with poignancy and wit…readers will be caught up in the plot as the hero and heroine’s letters reveal more and more about themselves and their relationship…secondary characters enhance the storyline and propel the romance. Noble crafts a lovely, easy-to-read story.”</div>
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<b><i>—RT </i>(FOUR STAR REVIEW, <i>The Dare and the Doctor</i>)</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">About the book</span></b></div>
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National bestselling author Kate Noble’s <b><span style="color: #403152;">THE DARE AND THE DOCTOR</span></b> lures readers back to the dazzling, irresistible Winner Takes All Regency Romance series. Margaret Babcock has always been content with her quiet life in the country. But every now and then, she feels the urge to spread her wings. Her late mother used to whisper, “What’s the worst that could happen?” at the start of an adventure, and now Margaret’s continuing the tradition. So when Dr. Rhys Gray, her longtime correspondent on matters botanical, invites her to speak to the London Horticultural Society about her new rose hybrid, she accepts. She’s excited about her first visit to London, but even more so about getting to see her friend Dr. Gray. When she arrives, Rhys is eager to show her the wonders of the city, and the two spend many happy hours together just as friends, of course! But would friends miss each other quite as fiercely when they’re apart; or feel such a spark when they’re together? Margaret finds that friendship with Rhys is much more complicated than she’d imagined…especially when it turns out her friend has forgotten that he may be promised to another woman. </div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">About the author</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19kQZwb-7A7ITdAAuGPffHFa_B76Oi6DW3soQh9RPJie0rzBWmmUF_5ls3wzHtO4aRRpW1ds8Jl7DmKeHhzDGl0zXpYP3sUvpHZBiXdYwanZWOv_dVLxw_m3FYofKxF3n-WxsyCqjP4I/s1600/katenoble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19kQZwb-7A7ITdAAuGPffHFa_B76Oi6DW3soQh9RPJie0rzBWmmUF_5ls3wzHtO4aRRpW1ds8Jl7DmKeHhzDGl0zXpYP3sUvpHZBiXdYwanZWOv_dVLxw_m3FYofKxF3n-WxsyCqjP4I/s400/katenoble.jpg" width="265" /></a></span></b></div>
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Kate Noble is the national bestselling author of <i>The Lie and the Lady</i>,<i> The Game and the Governess</i>,<i> </i>third in the witty, sexy Winner Takes All Regency Series,<i> </i>and the critically acclaimed, RITA Award-nominated Blue Raven series. Under the name Kate Rorick, she writes for television, as well as novels based on the Emmy Award-winning web series <i>The Lizzie Bennet Diaries</i>, for which she is also a writer and producer. She lives in Los Angeles. Visit Kate at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://katenoble.com/&source=gmail&ust=1479918030073000&usg=AFQjCNHNtLNcVRRmeBSfXmPs3n_yduwNog" href="http://katenoble.com/" target="_blank">katenoble.com</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.facebook.com/katenoblewriter&source=gmail&ust=1479918030073000&usg=AFQjCNFEqJdTl8CplePSFGcVj3-8R8s-AA" href="https://www.facebook.com/katenoblewriter" target="_blank"> Facebook</a>, and <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://twitter.com/NobleRorick?ref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Egoogle%257Ctwcamp%255Eserp%257Ctwgr%255Eauthor&source=gmail&ust=1479918030073000&usg=AFQjCNFcxiozhfx5QR066g32CDcCy3NvTA" href="https://twitter.com/NobleRorick?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank"> Twitter</a>.</div>
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<b>Praise for the Winner Takes All Series</b></div>
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“<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">With her usual witty writing and exquisite flair for characterization, Noble offers [<i>The Lie and the Lady</i>]. The effortless manner in which she wrote. <i>The Lie and the Lady</i> as a separate love story while at the same time gracefully connecting it to <i>The Game and the Governess</i> and cleverly hinting at what is to come in the series is nothing less than brilliant.”</span></div>
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<i>—<b>Booklist </b></i>(STARRED REVIEW, <i>The Lie and the Lady</i>)</div>
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“After a scandalous escapade with John, a commoner she thought was the Earl of Ashby. Letitia returns to England as the fiancée of a somewhat older, titled widower- only to find out that her new home is right in John’s backyard . . . heartwarming.”</div>
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—<b><i>Publishers Weekly</i> </b>(<i>The Lie and the Lady</i>)</div>
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<span lang="EN">“The Earl of Ashby trades places with his friend and secretary in order to prove he can win a woman without the benefit of his title in <i>The Game and the Governess</i>…It’s a delicious treat to watch Ned grow from earl to man, and see the stalwart Phoebe get everything she deserves.”</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN">—<i>Bookpage</i> </span></b><span lang="EN">(TOP PICK IN ROMANCE,<b> </b><i>The Game and the Governess</i>)</span></div>
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“The subtle development of romance between the devil-may-care earl and the proper governess is the impetus behind this winning novel, complete with rich characters and a multi-dimensional plotline.”</div>
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<b><i>—Publishers Weekly </i></b>(STARRED REVIEW, Best Summer Romance pick,<b> </b><i><span lang="EN">The Game and the Governess</span></i><span lang="EN">) </span></div>
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<b>My Review:</b><br />
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<b>Rating: 4 Stars </b></div>
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"The Dare and the Doctor" is the first book that I've read in this series, and I feel it can be read as a standalone title. I'm such a fan of books with different characters than what we normally see in historical romances, and this one definitely hits it out of the park with its original leads. It's not often that we see a hero who has a job, instead of being a peer, so seeing history through eyes other than the aristocracy is always refreshing. The heroine, Margaret, is shy and bookish, and it's fun to read about these two avid 'learners' falling in love. </div>
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The book also treats us to another of my favorite tropes of the genre - the friends to lovers plot. I love seeing characters who fall in love over time instead of insta-love. Sometimes love at first sight is great, but it's easier to believe when we know the characters have a back-story. Margaret and Rhys start the book as pen pals who write letters to each other. We get a nice glimpse into their relationship through the letters. In modern times, this would probably be like meeting someone online and then realizing that you have great chemistry when you meet! It's fun to see how their relationship progresses after meeting in person. </div>
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<b>Bottom Line: </b>This is a fun, light friends-to-lovers tale that is sure to please fans of unconventional historical romances!</div>
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<b>WINNER TAKES ALL GIVEAWAY!</b></div>
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To celebrate the third in the Winner Takes All series, <i>The Dare and the Doctor</i>, we are hosting a giveaway and the WINNER will TAKE ALL books in the series: <i>The Game and the Governess</i>,<span class="m_1374444219084653558apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Lie and the Lady<span class="m_1374444219084653558apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span class="m_1374444219084653558apple-converted-space">and </span><i>The Dare and the Doctor</i>! Please note, you can enter at all participating blogs but you can only win once. U.S. only. </div>
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<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://masoncanyon.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1479918030074000&usg=AFQjCNGTvf-M0qK8pbfUdQLJUVImz2-bkQ" href="http://masoncanyon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">THOUGHTS IN PROGRESS</a>Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-23827800471342163472016-10-24T22:35:00.001-04:002016-11-10T20:31:14.487-05:00"Christmas in Destiny" Excerpt<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> To celebrate the release day for "Christmas in Destiny" by Toni Blake, I have an excerpt from the book, courtesy of the publisher! Enjoy! And keep your eyes peeled for my review coming soon!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGGKN8MQKa5skcpJAj_Jvm7uZ12pPxci8TX-URkkmb9LJjWRtKnXNB9gHC6igv0x_b6eEednxzNoycviudxPJTB-PiJCL_2LwDMG453kr9ShNiHde5jYGxAqMx2Qw_UMJw4g7EeNuxR0/s1600/christmasindestiny2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGGKN8MQKa5skcpJAj_Jvm7uZ12pPxci8TX-URkkmb9LJjWRtKnXNB9gHC6igv0x_b6eEednxzNoycviudxPJTB-PiJCL_2LwDMG453kr9ShNiHde5jYGxAqMx2Qw_UMJw4g7EeNuxR0/s1600/christmasindestiny2.png" /></a></div>
<b>"Christmas in Destiny"</b><br />
<br />
<b>By Toni Blake</b><br />
Publisher: Avon Books<br />
Oct 25, 2016<br />
Source: Sent by publisher<br />
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<b>Summary: (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28819995-christmas-in-destiny?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>)</b><br />
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<span id="freeText6524795853311324550"><i>“Go to Destiny. There’s something waiting there for you.”</i><br />
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Shane Dalton’s new life is waiting in Miami, complete with fast cars and faster women. But first, he’s heeding his father’s dying words and stopping off in Destiny, Ohio. The detour wasn’t supposed to include a busted pickup and a blizzard. But Candice Sheridan, the cute redhead who reluctantly offers shelter, could prove a pleasant diversion. Trouble is, she thinks Shane’s bad news. And he’s pretty sure she’s right . . .<br />
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Candice had her trust broken once before. Yet something about Shane won’t let her stay away. By Christmas, he’ll be gone. Until then, she’s itching to stop playing nice and safe . . . and try being a little naughty for once.<br />
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As their holiday romance heats up, Shane uncovers a shattering secret and Candice is preparing to face heartache once again. But there’s no better place than Destiny—especially at Christmastime—for two lost souls to find the gift of sweet, surprising love . . .</span><b><br />
</b> <b>EXCERPT:</b><br />
<br />
From CHRISTMAS IN DESTINY by Toni Blake. Copyright © 2016 by Toni Blake. Reprinted by permission of Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.<br />
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Bang. Bang. Bang.<br />
Candice’s eyes sprang open as the jarring noise jolted her awake.<br />
Bang. Bang. Bang. <br />
What on earth? She briskly sat up, trying to get her bearings in the dark.<br />
The sound came again. Louder this time. And as she sat there in bed, the room lit only by the deluge of white outside, she realized someone was beating on her door in the middle of the night. Which seemed almost impossible given that the weather outside was more than a little frightful.<br />
Her heart beat rapidly as the relentless banging continued. Even while she dragged herself out of bed and headed toward the stairs, her sleep-addled brain whirled. As a woman who lived alone in an isolated area, she didn’t particularly want to answer. But what if it was Jenny or Mick—what if something was wrong with their little boy?<br />
Flipping on the dim porch light, she made out a shadowy male figure and concluded it was Mick. The fact that he was out in this weather, at this hour, filled her with worry. So she flung open the door.<br />
Then gasped. It wasn’t Mick. <br />
It wasn’t Mick at all. <br />
She didn’t know who this was – but he looked horribly out of place, and a little bit scary. “Wh-wh- …” Words failed her in her fright.<br />
The tall, dark stranger regarded her through piercing blue eyes. “Look, I know it’s late, but my pickup spun out and I hit a snow bank around that last bend.” His voice was deep and his tone unapologetic as he pointed over his shoulder in the general direction of the road. “Can’t get a signal on my cell, so need to use your phone.”<br />
Strangers didn’t just show up on porches in the middle of the night in Destiny, and she simply stared at him as if he were a ghost standing at her door in the blowing snow. The scary kind, with a lock of dark hair dipping over his forehead, a thick shadowy stubble on his chin, and even a little scar near his right eye. Though she wasn’t sure if ghosts bothered to knock.<br />
“Who are you going to call?” she managed to ask. Then blinked repeatedly. It was an unfortunate habit of hers – blinking when she was nervous.<br />
He arched a critical brow as a cold wind blew around them, his expression implying that maybe he thought she was still half-asleep. “A tow truck,” he said, enunciating, as if the answer was obvious.<br />
But he was clearly uninformed about something she thought obvious. “Have you seen the roads? A tow truck won’t come out here when it’s like this. I don’t know how you got any truck out here tonight. And we don’t have a tow truck in Destiny anyway.”<br />
His eyebrows both shot up then, though his voice came out sounding almost matter-of-fact as he said, “Tell me you’re kidding.”<br />
“I can’t.”<br />
A heavy sigh left him as he muttered, “Jesus Christ.”<br />
Since she was pretty sure he wasn’t making a Christmas reference, she ignored that and went on. “Someone will have to come from Crestview,” she explained. Then blinked and added, “But I’ll try to call anyway. Just in case. Wait here.”<br />
After which she shut the door on him. And locked it. In a near blizzard. Which didn’t exactly feel kind or charitable, but a woman had to protect herself. And as for calling – despite what she’d told him, she’d decided it was worth making sure, worth a try, to get the scary stranger off her porch as efficiently as possible.<br />
She rushed to the phone and dialed briskly. And promptly heard a recording on the other end, saying what she already knew: Meffler’s Towing was closed due to inclement weather and anyone in need of a tow should call back after the storm. And they were sorry for the inconvenience. “Me too,” she whispered to no one, hanging up.<br />
Then she steeled herself and walked back to the front door. Unfortunately, when she opened it, he was still standing there. Looking cold and a little snow-covered since the snow now even blew up under the roof that covered her porch.<br />
She just shook her head. “They’re not answering their phones until the snow stops.” Only then it occurred to her to ask, “What on earth are you doing out here in a blizzard anyway?”<br />
“Got lost,” he said. <br />
And as he shifted his weight from one snow-covered work boot to the other, she noticed for the first time that his coat was too thin for the weather, and she thought of him trudging from around the bend in a foot of wet snow and for some crazy reason wondered if his feet had stayed dry. She also wondered what kind of person was out in the country this late at night in this kind of weather. Escaped convicts and serial killers came to mind. <br />
“Made a wrong turn looking to find a room for the night,” he said, “but I’m guessing a motel’s gonna be pretty hard to come by here, too.”<br />
She nodded, sorry for both of them to have to deliver the bad news. “The Half Moon Inn is miles away.”<br />
As another heavy sigh left him, she began to realize – almost against her will – that underneath all the scary, that he was also maybe … kind of hot. His voice was deep and a little raspy, and the thin coat he wore didn’t hide broad shoulders. There was something visceral about him – she could somehow feel his very maleness. And that was when he narrowed his blue gaze on her and said, “Looks like you’re stuck with me then.”<br />
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<b>Purchase Here:</b><br />
<br />
CHRISTMAS IN DESTINY – <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062392602/christmas-in-destiny#">https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062392602/christmas-in-destiny#</a><br />
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<b>Connect with Toni Blake: </b><br />
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Website -<a href="http://www.toniblake.com/" target="_blank">http://www.toniblake.com/</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review </span></div>
<br />Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-44929525684980332752016-10-19T23:28:00.000-04:002016-11-10T20:32:55.640-05:00"Just Fine with Caroline" Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDBp2VNnqjpAP-DtZA4UkK2w_NyhQoT4J1fApCY186kBwSlp34Rk2zRtHA-a0psyUZhQSWAdPT66zlVIChW8BQxtGbAqqaR2cizB8wU3f_QXDo_18W0hsbP1mB9LYXFVs9jt-iCbeJzM/s1600/justfinewithcaroline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDBp2VNnqjpAP-DtZA4UkK2w_NyhQoT4J1fApCY186kBwSlp34Rk2zRtHA-a0psyUZhQSWAdPT66zlVIChW8BQxtGbAqqaR2cizB8wU3f_QXDo_18W0hsbP1mB9LYXFVs9jt-iCbeJzM/s1600/justfinewithcaroline.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>"Just Fine with Caroline"</b><br />
<b>by Annie England Noblin</b><br />
<b>Publisher: </b>William Morrow Paperbacks<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>Oct 11, 2016<br />
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<b>Source:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sent by publisher<br />
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<b>My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28694512-just-fine-with-caroline?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">goodreads.com</span>:</a></b></div>
<blockquote>
<span class="elementTwo" id="freeText16176936737873020554"><br />
</span><span id="freeText14861448873483025173">From the author of <i>Sit! Stay! Speak!</i>
comes a tender, terrific novel complete with long-buried secrets, a
three-legged pot belly pig, and an irresistible dog—an unforgettable
story about love, friendship, and community. Perfect for fans of Mary
Kay Andrews and Mary Alice Monroe.<br /><br />Caroline O’Connor never
dreamed she’d be back home in Cold River, Missouri, the Ozark Mountain
town where everyone is ‘up your business.’…they mean well as they drive
you crazy. She thought she’d left town for good, but now she’s back,
helping to care for her New York born mother—struck with Alzheimer’s,
and prone to saying and doing anything—and her father, the beloved local
doctor frustrated he can’t cure his own wife.<br /><br />As for Caroline, she’s doing ‘<i>just fine’ </i>coping
with her parents, her brazen cousin Ava Dawn’s marital disasters, her
mostly-deaf dog…and with Noah Cranwell, far-flung relative of a local
family mostly infamous for running moonshine, an ex-veteran who’s come
to Cold River with troubles of his own.<br /><br />Caroline believes she
knows everything about Cold River and the people who live in its hills
and hollers … but sometimes life’s greatest surprises happen closest to
home.</span> </blockquote>
<b>My Review:</b><br />
<br />
"Just Fine with Caroline" is the first book in the author's new Cold River series, set in a small town in the Ozarks. The small town setting and quirky characters are the main attraction in this story. The romance is there, but it's really all about those characters, relationships, and interactions that you can really only find in a small town.<br />
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I think a lot of people can identify with Caroline. She's a very likable character, and she really always tries to do the right thing for everyone she cares about. This includes her mother, who has Alzheimer's, her doctor father, her trouble-finding cousin, Ava Dawn, her childhood friend, Court, and her fur friend, Yara. Then comes Noah, the long lost grandson of one of the town's most notorious and mysterious citizens. Family secrets are unravelled as new relationships grow.<br />
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I loved the town and characters, but sometimes the story meandered off track a bit. I perfer a tighter story, but that's a matter of personal preference. The family mystery was a bit predictable from the start, it wasn't a shocking revelation at the end. There was an interesting sub-story about Caroline's fascination with prohibition era, I would have loved for that to have been developed even more to mirror the current story.<br />
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The author has an authentic small town, Southern voice, which I appreciate. Sometimes this type of voice can come off forced and fake, but Noblin's characters come across so natural. This made the story believable and highly readable at the same time. <br />
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<i></i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Characters: <span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span>/5 </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Supporting Characters: 5/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Setting: 5/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Romance: 3.5/5 </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Uniqueness: 3/5</span><br />
<span class="userReview"><span class="reviewText" id="freeTextreview80727034"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cover: 4/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Writing: 5/5</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom Line:</span>Overall, this is a nice read for fans of small town fiction. The story could have been fleshed out a bit more, but fans of quirky characteres and small town comraderie will not be disappointed.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">disclosure: I received an E-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></div>
Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-2599143618819418102016-10-11T16:18:00.003-04:002016-11-10T20:34:02.449-05:00"The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel" Excerpt <div style="text-align: center;">
<b> As part of the blog tour for "The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel" by Jennifer McQuiston, I have an excerpt from the first chapter of the book!</b></div>
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<b>THE PERKS OF LOVING A SCOUNDREL</b><br />
<br />
By Jennifer McQuiston<br />
<br />
Avon Books<br />
<br />
September 27, 2016<br />
<br />
ISBN: 9780062335142; $$7.99<br />
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E-ISBN 9780062335159; $5.99<br />
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<b>About the Book</b><br />
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New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McQuiston continues her enchanting Seduction Diaries series as a bookish spinster and an unrepentant rogue unite to unmask a traitor.<br />
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Every girl dreams of a hero….<br />
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No one loves books more than Miss Mary Channing. Perhaps that’s why she’s reached the ripe old age of six-and-twenty without ever being kissed. Her future may be as bland as milk toast, but Mary is content to simply dream about the heroes and adventures she reads about in her books. That way she won’t end up with a villain instead.<br />
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But sometimes only a scoundrel will do.<br />
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When she unexpectedly finds herself in the arms of Geoffrey Westmore, London’s most notorious scoundrel, it feels a bit like a plot from one of her favorite novels. Suddenly, Mary understands why even the smartest heroines can fall prey to a handsome face. And Westmore’s is more handsome than most. But far worse than the damage to her reputation, the moment’s indiscretion uncovers an assassination plot that reaches to the highest levels of society and threatens the course of the entire country.<br />
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When a tight-laced miss and a scoundrel of epic proportions put their minds together, nothing can stand in their way. But unless they put their hearts together as well, a happy ending is anything but assured.<br />
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Excerpt from THE PERKS OF LOVING A SCOUNDREL:<br />
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From the Diary of Miss Mary Channing<br />
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May 24, 1858<br />
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<br />
<br />
Eleanor wrote today. I should have been glad to hear from her, given that she is my twin sister and I love her dearly, but it would be untruthful to say the contents of her letter pleased me. Her new husband, Lord Ashington, has been called away on business and she’s asked me to come to London to keep her company during the last two months of her confinement.<br />
<br />
Can you imagine? Me, in London?<br />
<br />
My family says I must get my nose out of my books and begin to live in the world around me. It is true I’ve never been further afield than a day trip from home, and that I have never slept a night outside my own bed. But why would I ever want to leave, when I have my books to keep me company? And a trip to London is not without its perils. I could very well end up like one of the characters in my beloved stories, snubbed by the popular crowd. Whispered about behind lace fans. Or worse . . . led astray by a handsome villain and then abandoned to my fate.<br />
<br />
Yet, how could I not go? Eleanor is my sister, and she needs me. So I shall put on a brave face. Pack a trunk. Smile, if I must. But I can’t help but wonder . . . which worries me more?<br />
<br />
The many things that could happen in London?<br />
<br />
Or the thought of seeing Eleanor, with her handsome new husband, and her shining, lovely life, and everything I am afraid of wanting?<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>EXCERPT:</b><br />
Chapter 1<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
London, May 29, 1858<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The smell should have been worse.<br />
<br />
She’d expected something foul, air made surly by the summer heat. Just last week she’d read about the Thames, that great, roiling river that carried with it the filth of the entire city and choked its inhabitants to tears. Her rampant imagination, spurred on by countless books and newspaper articles, had conjured a city of fetid smells, each more terrible than the last. But as Miss Mary Channing opened her bedroom window and breathed in her first London morning, her nose filled with nothing more offensive than the fragrance of . . .<br />
<br />
Flowers.<br />
<br />
Disconcerted, she peeked out over the sill. Dawn was just breaking over the back of Grosvenor Square. The gaslights were still burning and the windows of the other houses were dark. By eight o’clock, she imagined industrious housemaids would be down on their knees, whiting their masters’ stoops. The central garden would fill with nurses and their charges, heading west toward Hyde Park.<br />
<br />
But for now the city—and its smells—belonged solely to her.<br />
<br />
She breathed in again. Was she dreaming? Imagining things, as she was often wont to do? She was well over two hundred miles from home, but it smelled very much like her family’s ornamental garden in Yorkshire. She didn’t remember seeing a garden last night, but then, she had arrived quite late, the gaslight shadows obscuring all but the front steps. She’d been too weary to think, so sickened by the ceaseless motion of the train that she’d not even been able to read a book, much less ponder the underpinnings of the air she breathed.<br />
<br />
She supposed she might have missed a garden. Good heavens, she probably would have missed a funeral parade, complete with an eight-horse coach and a brass band.<br />
<br />
After the long, tiresome journey, she’d only wanted to find a bed.<br />
<br />
And yet now . . . at five o’clock in the morning . . . she couldn’t sleep.<br />
<br />
Not on a mattress that felt so strange, and not in a bedroom that wasn’t her own.<br />
<br />
Pulling her head back inside, she eyed the four-poster bed, with its rumpled covers and profusion of pretty pillows. It was a perfectly nice bed. Her sister, Eleanor, had clearly put some thought into the choice of fabrics and furniture. Most women would love such a room. And most women would love such an opportunity—two whole months in London, with shops and shows and distractions of every flavor at their fingertips.<br />
<br />
But Mary wasn’t most women. She preferred her distractions in the form of a good book, not shopping on Regent Street. And these two looming months felt like prison, not paradise.<br />
<br />
The scent of roses lingered in the air, and as she breathed in, her mind settled on a new hope. If there was a flower garden she might escape to—a place where she might read her books and write in her journal—perhaps it would not be so terrible?<br />
<br />
Picking up the novel she had not been able to read on the train, Mary slipped out of the strange bedroom, her bare feet silent on the stairs. She had always been an early riser, waking before even the most industrious servants back home in Yorkshire. At home, the cook knew to leave her out a bit of breakfast—bread and cheese wrapped in a napkin—but no one here would know to do that for her yet.<br />
<br />
Ever since she’d been a young girl, morning had been her own time, quiet hours spent curled up on a garden bench with a book in her lap, nibbling on her pocket repast, the day lightening around her. The notion that she might still keep to such a routine in a place like London gave her hope for the coming two months.<br />
<br />
She drifted down the hallway until she found a doorway that looked promising, solid oak, with a key still in the lock. With a deep breath, she turned the key and pulled it open. She braced herself for knife-wielding brigands. Herds of ragged street urchins, hands rifling through her pockets. The sort of London dangers she’d always read about.<br />
<br />
Instead, the scent of flowers washed over her like a lovely, welcome tide.<br />
<br />
Oh, thank goodness.<br />
<br />
She hadn’t been imagining things after all.<br />
<br />
Something hopeful nudged her over the threshold of the door, then bade her to take one step, then another. In the thin light of dawn, she saw flowers in every color and fashion: bloodred rose blooms, a cascade of yellow flowers dripping down the wrought iron fence. Her fingers loosened over the cover of her book. Oh, but it would be lovely to read here. She could even hear the light patter of a fountain, beckoning her deeper.<br />
<br />
But then she heard something else above those pleasant, tinkling notes.<br />
<br />
An almost inhuman groan of pleasure.<br />
<br />
With a startled gasp, she spun around. Her eyes swam through the early morning light to settle on a gentleman on the street, some ten feet or so away on the other side of the wrought iron fence. But the fact of their separation did little to relieve her anxiety, because the street light illuminated him in unfortunate, horrific clarity.<br />
<br />
He was urinating.<br />
<br />
Through the fence.<br />
<br />
Onto one of her sister’s rosebushes.<br />
<br />
The book fell from Mary’s hand. In all her imaginings of what dreadful things she might encounter on the streets of London, she’d never envisioned anything like this. She ought to bolt. She ought to scream. She ought to . . . well . . . she ought to at least look away.<br />
<br />
But as if he was made of words on a page, her eyes insisted on staying for a proper read. His eyes were closed, his mouth open in a grimace of relief. Objectively, he was a handsome mess, lean and long-limbed, a shock of disheveled blond hair peeking out from his top hat. But handsome was always matter of opinion, and this one had “villain” stamped on his skin.<br />
<br />
As if he could hear her flailing thoughts, one eye cracked open, then the other. “Oh, ho, would you look at that, Grant? I’ve an audience, it seems.”<br />
<br />
Somewhere down the street, another voice rang out. “Piss off!” A snigger followed. “Oh, wait, you already are.”<br />
<br />
“Cork it, you sodding fool!” the blond villain shouted back. “Can’t you see we’re in the presence of a lady?” He grinned. “Apologies for such language, luv. Though . . . given the way you are staring, perhaps you don’t mind?” He rocked back on his heels, striking a jaunty pose even as the urine rained down. “If you come a little closer, I’d be happy to give you a better peek.”<br />
<br />
Mary’s heart scrambled against her ribs. She might be a naive thing, fresh from the country, and she might now be regretting her presumption that it was permissible to read a book in a London garden in her bare feet, but she wasn’t so unworldly that she didn’t know this one pertinent fact: she was not—under any circumstances—coming a little closer.<br />
<br />
Or getting a better peek.<br />
<br />
Mortified, she wrapped her arms about her middle. “I . . .that is . . . couldn’t you manage to hold it?” she somehow choked out. There. She’d managed a phrase, and it was a properly scathing one, too. As good as any of her books’ heroines might have done.<br />
<br />
A grin spread across his face. Much like the puddle at the base of the rosebush. “Well, luv, the thing is, I’m thinking I’d rather let you hold it.” The stream trickled to a stop, though he added a few more drips for good measure. He shook himself off and began to button his trousers. “But alas, it seems you’ve waited too long for the pleasure.” He tipped a finger to the brim of his top hat in a sort of salute. “My friend awaits. Perhaps another time?”<br />
<br />
Mary gasped. Or rather, she squeaked.<br />
<br />
She could manage little else.<br />
<br />
He chuckled. “It seems I’ve got a shy little mouse on my hands. Well, squeak squeak, run along then.” He set off down the street, swaying a bit. “But I’ll leave you with a word of advice, Miss Mouse,” he tossed back over one shoulder. “You’re a right tempting sight, standing there in your unutterables. But you might want to wear shoes the next time you ogle a gentleman’s prick. Never know when you’ll need to run.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Purchase Here:</b><br />
<br />
THE PERKS OF LOVING A SCOUNDREL – <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062335142/the-perks-of-loving-a-scoundrel">https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062335142/the-perks-of-loving-a-scoundrel</a><br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>About the Author</b><br />
<br />
A veterinarian and infectious disease researcher by training, Jennifer McQuiston has always preferred reading romance to scientific textbooks. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, their two girls, and an odd assortment of pets, including the pony she promised her children if mommy ever got a book deal.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Connect with Jennifer McQuiston:</b><br />
<br />
Website - <a href="http://www.jenmcquiston.com/">http://www.jenmcquiston.com/</a><br />
<br />
Twitter – <a href="https://twitter.com/jenmcqwrites">https://twitter.com/jenmcqwrites</a><br />
<br />
Facebook – <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jennifermcquistonauthor">https://www.facebook.com/jennifermcquistonauthor</a><br />
<br />Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-40101482444594039302016-10-11T15:58:00.001-04:002016-11-10T20:36:26.453-05:00Song Playlist for "Her Halloween Treat" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Bo7VBbFZJnekMYOdC_xGn8e5kKsaRuhy2gDrzQSn-UgP4AU_eGohKJye4FnI7XJyKPorZp8noir-5VwS8l2qesTXbvWmZ6kPbd1dQK3LniGCSaQfHANOMpVnEp0nJU18k7kAnsPTqfk/s1600/herhalloweentreat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Bo7VBbFZJnekMYOdC_xGn8e5kKsaRuhy2gDrzQSn-UgP4AU_eGohKJye4FnI7XJyKPorZp8noir-5VwS8l2qesTXbvWmZ6kPbd1dQK3LniGCSaQfHANOMpVnEp0nJU18k7kAnsPTqfk/s1600/herhalloweentreat.jpg" /></a></div>
Her Halloween Treat<br />
By Tiffany Reisz<br />
Harlequin<br />
Sept. 20, 2016<br />
Source: received E-copy from publisher<br />
<br />
<br />
Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29095423-her-halloween-treat" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span id="freeText419305624133308712"><b>Trick…or wicked treat!</b> <br />
<br />
It was a devastating dirty trick—Joey Silvia just found out her boyfriend of two years is married. What. A. Dick. Joey knows her best chance to get over one guy is to get under another. Of course, heading home to her family's remote cabin in Oregon poses some challenges in the "available men" department…until she discovers this cabin comes with its own hot handyman! <br />
<br />
Holy crap, Chris Steffensen. When did her brother's best friend turn into a hard-bodied pile of blond-bearded hotness? He's the perfect Halloween treat—and a surprisingly dirty rebound guy. For a couple of weeks, anyway. Except that Chris has other ideas…like proving to Joey that this blast from the past is a whole lot more than a naughty Halloween hookup.</span></blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Song Playlist: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>For the Halloween Treat blog tour, Tiffany Reisz has put together a playlist inspired by the characters in the book! Enjoy!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
In HER HALLOWEEN TREAT, Joey and Chris talk a lot about music especially after Joey sees that Chris has carved the face of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder into his Halloween pumpkin on her porch. While in high school Chris was obsessed with grunge music and even now listens to it all the time. But they also attend Joey’s brother’s 80’s-themed wedding with all the greatest 80s pop music playing at the reception. For a HER HALLOWEEN TREAT playlist, you’ll need a good mix of 80s dance songs and 90s alternative plus one very important song from the 70s.<br />
Song 1 – Jolene by Dolly Parton – Joey’s real name is Jolene and she’s feeling the irony of it when she learns her boyfriend of two years has been secretly married the entire time<br />
Song 2 – Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam – Joey sees an Eddie Vedder pumpkin on the porch and although I have no idea what Yellow Ledbetter means, it’s one of my favorite Pearl Jam jams.<br />
Song 3 – All Apologies by Nirvana – Chris tends to hum or sing Nirvana while he’s doing his handyman work. Joey teases him about this habit while they’re painting a bedroom in Joey’s Oregon cabin.<br />
Song 4 – True by Spandau Ballet – Joey and Chris have to pick 80s costumes to wear to her brother’s costume wedding taking place on Halloween and they choose to dress like characters from a classic John Hughes film and this song is on the soundtrack.<br />
Song 5 – Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters – Chris is a big Dave Grohl fan and Joey works for an airline. This one’s a no-brainer.<br />
Song 6 – Hello by Lionel Richie because why not? It’s a fabulous song and someone dresses like Richie at the 80s costume wedding. Plus I’m sure Joey sings along to it at the top of her lungs when it’s on the radio. Who doesn’t? <br />
Song 7 – The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats – This song comes on at the wedding reception and it inspires Chris to say one of my favorite lines in the book. I won’t tell you what that line is but it includes the word “boner.” <br />
Song 8 – Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots – At the end of this book, this is the song playing in the background when Joey and Chris end up making a very important decision together.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for a blog post. </span>Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-45941200553211514622016-09-19T22:02:00.001-04:002016-11-10T20:36:43.135-05:00Promo: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>By Jenny Colgan</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
William Morrow Paperbacks</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
September 20, 2016</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ISBN: 9780062467256; $14.99</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
E-ISBN 9780062467263; $9.99</div>
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<b><br />
</b> <b>About the Book</b><br />
<br />
Nina Redmond is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her passion… and also her job. Or at least it was. Until yesterday, she was a librarian in the hectic city. But now the job she loved is no more. <br />
<br />
Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile—a mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. <br />
<br />
From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her own happy ending.<br />
<br />
<b>Purchase Here:</b><br />
<b>THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER</b> – <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062467263/the-bookshop-on-the-corner">https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062467263/the-bookshop-on-the-corner</a><br />
<br />
<b>About the Author</b><br />
Jenny Colgan is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, includingLittle Beach Street Bakery, Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop, and Christmas at the Cupcake Café, all international bestsellers. Jenny is married with three children and lives in London and Scotland.<br />
<br />
<b>Connect with Jenny Colgan</b><br />
Website - <a href="http://www.jennycolgan.com/">http://www.jennycolgan.com/</a><br />
Twitter – <a href="https://twitter.com/jennycolgan">https://twitter.com/jennycolgan</a><br />
Facebook – <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jennycolganbooks">https://www.facebook.com/jennycolganbooks</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Praise for Jenny Colgan and THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER:</b><br />
<br />
“Losing myself in Jenny Colgan’s beautiful pages is the most delicious, comforting, satisfying treat I have had in ages.”<br />
— Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Secrets<br />
<br />
“With a keen eye for the cinematic, Colgan (Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery, 2016, etc.) is a deft mistress of romantic comedy; Nina's story is laced with clever dialogue and scenes set like jewels, just begging to be filmed. A charming, bracingly fresh happily-ever-after tale…”<br />
— Kirkus<br />
<br />
“This is a lovely novel with amazing characters who are hooked on books… at least some of them. The plot is believable and is a joy to read. The main female character, Nina, is the librarian who always figures out the best choice for a patron without fail. Jenny Colgan thinks outside the box and creates a memorable book.” <br />
— RT Book Reviews<br />
<br />
“This charming tale celebrates the many ways books bring people together”<br />
— Booklist<br />
<br />
“This light, fresh romantic comedy is the perfect escape for bibliophiles. Enjoy it with a cup of tea on a crisp day.”<br />
— Real Simple<br />
<br />
“[A] love story about reading and the joys books can bring to people’s lives.”<br />
— All About Romance <br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I did not receive a copy of this book.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></div>
Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-87196102073299022912016-08-30T12:24:00.002-04:002016-11-10T20:37:02.583-05:00Giveaway: "Frostline" by Linda Howard and Linda Jones<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>To celebrate the release of Linda Howard and Linda Jones' collaborative new novel, "Frostline", I am happy to offer a giveaway for one lucky reader of In the Hammock to win a paperback copy of the book!!</b><span style="color: black;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<br />
<b>"Frostline"</b><br />
<b>by Linda Howard and Linda Jones</b><br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Avon<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>Aug 30, 2016<br />
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<b>Source:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sent by publisher<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28116123-frost-line" target="_blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">goodreads.com</span>:</a></b></div>
<blockquote>
<span class="elementTwo" id="freeText16176936737873020554"><br />
</span><span id="freeText14131673995208350428"><i> <b>A riveting, imaginative new novel of paranormal romance from bestselling authors Linda Howard and Linda Jones.</b> </i><br />
<br />
Lenna is Strength, a manifestation of the Tarot card, and powerful beyond reckoning. But when she's pulled into the human realm, tasked with protecting a young boy, everything is thrown into chaos. Lenna's not supposed to be here, interacting with mortals. She's definitely not supposed to be drawn to the sexy mercenary sent to retrieve her by any means necessary . . . <br />
<br />
As a Hunter for magical beings, Caine's duty is simple: return this compelling, impossibly attractive woman—or eliminate her. Instead he's drawn into Lenna's dangerous rescue mission and blindsided by his growing feelings. But there is more than one enemy to contend with. And as the clock runs out, failure means not just the loss of an innocent life and the woman Caine has come to love, but the destruction of Lenna's entire world.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span> <br />
<br />
<b>Purchase Here:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>FROSTLINE –</b><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062421975/frost-line"><b> </b>https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062421975/frost-line</a><br />
<br />
<b> </b> <b>FROSTLINE</b> on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25654615-the-groom-wore-plaid" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br />
<br />
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Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-314569914856091562016-07-07T13:12:00.001-04:002016-11-10T20:37:20.223-05:00"Lady Pirate" Excerpt<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Lynsay Sands' "Lady Pirate" has a brand new cover! Let's celebrate this gorgeous re-issie with an excerpt!<br />
</b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN6lgOftV6D6lDNd_k2eCKQYkc6vo3wRFTaB7-fy8Fqf-cEqgvPKaWOVjr3Vj6Oz5KbJ32AJu7xklej6AvU0vHFa7wG1ypGfZnDlnYwoTkxst2N-fkrXr1bF3VWWP8QVQTKmWWWbRZY8/s1600/ladypirate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN6lgOftV6D6lDNd_k2eCKQYkc6vo3wRFTaB7-fy8Fqf-cEqgvPKaWOVjr3Vj6Oz5KbJ32AJu7xklej6AvU0vHFa7wG1ypGfZnDlnYwoTkxst2N-fkrXr1bF3VWWP8QVQTKmWWWbRZY8/s1600/ladypirate.png" /></a></div>
<b>LADY PIRATE</b><br />
<b>By Lynsay Sands</b><br />
Avon Books<br />
May 31, 2016<br />
ISBN: 9780062019738; $7.99<br />
E-ISBN 9780062024909 * $7.99<br />
Source: received from publisher <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Synopsis (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27278464-lady-pirate" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>):</b><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10016018904281296368">Valoree no longer has
to masquerade as her murdered brother and scourge the oceans as Captain
Red. She no longer has to command his pirate band in a quest to regain
his birthright. She has been named heir to Ainsley Castle. But no
executor would ever hand over the estate to an unmarried pirate wench
and her infamous crew—no matter to whom she’d been born. And the will
distinctly states that in order to inherit, Valoree must be married to a
nobleman . . . and pregnant.<br /><br />Upon learning that, the virgin
captain is ready to return to the seas—but her crew has other ideas— and
for those rascally cusses she would do anything. If they could find a
way to put on her a sweet face that would fool the ton, she would handle
the rest, even with a drunken prostitute as an “aunt” and her merry
cutthroat crew as “servants.” But to herself she swears one thing: she
will only marry a man who fires her blood, a man who is not afraid of a .
. . Lady Pirate</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Purchase Links:</b><br />
<br />
<b>LADY PIRATE</b> – <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062019738/lady-pirate">https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062019738/lady-pirate</a><br />
<br />
<b>About the Author</b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">LYNSAY
SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue
Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and
anthologies. She’s been writing stories since grade school and
considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of
it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress
through her stories, and if there’s</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">
occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big
bonus.</span></span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.lynsaysands.net/"></a><br />
<br />
<b>Connect with Lynsay Sands</b><br />
<br />
Website - <a href="http://www.lynsaysands.net/">www.lynsaysands.net</a><br />
<br />
Goodreads- <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17059.Lynsay_Sands">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17059.Lynsay_Sands</a><br />
<br />
Facebook- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Lynsay-Sands-%20125138040836322/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/Lynsay-Sands- 125138040836322/</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Excerpt:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>The Caribbean- late 1700s</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
The water was flat as a looking glass,
capturing the moonlight and stars that twinkled down from above and
reflecting just enough light that the ship gliding ahead of them
appeared black and ghostlike in the darkness.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
From her position at the front of the
small dugout canoe in which she rode, Valoree motioned, and the men
at the oars immediately slowed their rowing. At another signal, the
sailors raised their oars out of the water, and the craft slid
silently up beside the larger craft.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Immediately those on the left side of
the canoe with drew hooks on long ropes and sent them whistling
through the air to catch on the rail above. For a moment they waited,
staring breathlessly up the side of the large galleon and holding the
lines, allowing their craft to be dragged along by the larger ship’s
momentum. At last, when a hue and cry failed to arise, all eyes
slowly returned to Valoree.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
She stared back, knowing these men all
saw her as a slender young man- little more than a boy, really. All
of them but Henry. He alone knew that their deceased captain’s
younger brother Valerian, who had served as a cabin boy these last
eight years, was really a girl. Of course he knew; he’d been the
one who had suggested the charade so many years before, when he’d
realized that Jeremy- his captain and her brother- intended to keep
her aboard a ship full of pirates.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Aye, these men all thought her a lad,
young and untried. And yet, they had vowed to follow her. Only a
desire for vengeance could make these two dozen men, cutthroats and
hooligans all, follow someone they had always looked upon as a green
lad, a little brother or son to be coddled and spoiled. And vengeance
they would have.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Glancing down into the water, Valoree
took in her reflection. Her body was slim- she was lean rather than
muscular- and it trembled with anticipation. For a moment she
imagined that her eyes were no longer those of the youth who had
moved easily among these men, laughing and chatting as she’d gone
about her chores. Nay, her eyes now seemed old, hard, bitter with
fresh loss. A loss these men shared as well.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Her brother had been a good man and a
fair captain, and his ship, the Valor, had been the only home most of
his crew had known for the last eight years. The men who now
accompanied her were the last of that crew. She glanced around at
them, then back at her reflection.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Though her shirt was her own, she now
wore her brother’s breeches, along with his hat and jacket.
Jeremy’s boarding ax and pike were hooked through the thick belt at
her waist, and a brass-barreled flintlock was sticking out of those
baggy, too-large pants. The captain’s cutlass rested in its sheath
where it hung at her side. She had taken his clothing when she had
sworn vengeance for his death- and she had not bathed since.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Every inch of her body, every item,
every inch of cloth, wood, and metal was covered with its owner’s
dried blood, as were Valoree’s face, hands, and feet. Even her long
hair was crusty with the stuff. Though it was normally a vibrant,
fiery red- as her brother’s had been- it was now streaked through
with crimson, marked by the red blood of her brother’s death- a
reminder of her vow.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>Her brother had
not died easily. He had not died quickly. He, along with the majority
of his men, had died slowly and in torment. And for that, Valoree and
the remainder of Jeremy’s crew had vowed, these Spaniards would
pay.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
She glanced toward Skully and nodded.
The cadaverous man immediately reached for his tools, and Valoree
turned her back as he began to bore holes in the bottom of their
craft. She regarded her crew, awaiting their reaction. She did not
have long to wait. Skully was still working on the second hole when
the last of them turned to her in understanding. In their faces she
read approval and a grudging respect. To reassure them of her intent,
she half hissed, half whispered, “We take this ship or we die.
There is no escape. We fight not only to avenge the deaths of good
men, but for our lives.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“For our lives and vengeance,”
Henry vowed beside her in a hushed tone. His words were immediately
taken up by the others.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Life and vengeance!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
She relaxed somewhat at their
acceptance, an odd calm overtaking her as she silently watched Skully
finish boring the holes in the bottom of their boat. The holes were
relatively small, but even so, by the time he had started on the
sixth, the boat was already gathering water and beginning to sink.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
As Skully hurriedly returned his tools
to his satchel, Valoree drew her brother’s cutlass from its sheath.
Moving to the side of their slowly sinking ship, she led the men in a
stealthy climb up the side of the Spanish galleon. Her bare hands and
feet moved surely up the rope until she reached the top, the others
close behind. Pausing there, Valoree peered over the side and glared
about.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Several men, taking advantage of the
night breeze, were sleeping out in the open air of the deck. Valoree
glanced toward the helm and smiled grimly upon seeing the helmsman.
The man, while still at his post, had nodded off and was now dozing
away his shift, sense less. There was no one to give an alarm. The
Spaniards would be taken completely by surprise.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Slipping silently over the side,
Valoree hunkered low, sticking to the shadows. Her men followed. As
the last of them slid to the deck, she gestured silently, dividing
them into two groups with one simple wave of her hand, then gesturing
for one group to stay above deck, while directing the others toward
the dark hole that was the entrance to the cabins. They all began to
move at once, separating and moving all over the ship. The men above
deck positioned themselves among the sleeping Spaniards, ready to set
to work, but waiting the few moments necessary to allow those men
slip ping through the hole to reach their targets, lest some sound or
death cry warn their enemies below.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Leaving the rest of the crew to the
others, Valoree moved stealthily toward the helmsman. She had nearly
reached him when something startled the man awake.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Drawing a sword, the Spaniard peered
blearily at her. She froze, but his gaze found her anyway. Taking in
Jeremy’s bloody clothes and her red hair flowing about her
blood-streaked face, he blinked.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Rojo... El Capitan Rojo?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Valoree stiffened at the words,
recognizing the name the Spanish used for her brother. Captain Red,
because of his red hair.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Regresa del muerto... El Rojo,”
the man whispered faintly, then straightened abruptly, shrieking.
“Regresa del muerto. El Rojo!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
His cry awoke others nearby, and the
sleepy-eyed men turned to gape at her in horror. The helmsman’s cry
was taken up again and again. “Regresa del muerto. El Rojo!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
For a moment, everyone was still. The
others she’d brought with her, startled by the shouting, turned to
peer at Valoree. She drew back, annoyed, then peered about at the
frozen tableau. Her crewmates seemed as transfixed as the Spaniards.
With a glance at the near est of the men, she snapped irritably,
“What the devil is he saying, Henry?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Drawn out of his startled state by the
question, the quartermaster relaxed and grimly smiled. Then he
shrugged. “He’s thinkin’ ye’re yer own brother, Captain Red.
He’s thinkin’ ye’re back from the dead. He’s screamin’
“Back-from-the-Dead Red,”” he explained. The cry continued
around them.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Regresa del muerto. El Rojo!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Back-from-the-Dead Red?” Valoree
repeated, then frowned at the terrified Spaniards. “Well, at least
they shall know why they die”. Raising Jeremy’s cutlass, she
advanced on the helmsman, but much to her consternation, the man
immediately dropped his weapon. For a moment, Valoree was nonplussed,
but the sudden chorus of metal against wood drew her attention to the
fact that every Spaniard aboard the ship was now giving up his weapon
unasked, all dropping them to the deck floor.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“What the devil are they doing?”
Valoree cried in dismay. “Are they not going to fight?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Henry glanced around, then turned to
face her. “Well,” he drawled, scratching at his ear. “I’m
thinkin’ they’re thinkin’ that since ye’re a ghost and all,
there ain’t no sense in afightin’ ye. Most like they think we’re
the rest of the men that were kilt... and ye cain’t kill someone
what’s already dead.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“El Rojo.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Valoree glanced up at hearing again the
helmsman’s terrified murmur. The Spaniard was now tugging his
pistol free and dropping it on the deck beside his sword. Throughout,
he continued mumbling, “Regresa del muerto. El Rojo.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Before she could decide on a course of
action, a scuffle at the entrance to the cabins drew her attention.
Valoree glanced over as the men who had gone below returned, pushing
several captives ahead of them. The first was obviously the captain,
and he looked angry. He also looked willing to fight, Valoree saw
with relief. At least someone would. It was hard to take revenge when
the enemy refused to fight. She wouldn’t simply kill unarmed men;
that was not fair. She was just about to move to confront the Spanish
captain when the helmsman spotted his commander. He immediately
shrieked, “El Rojo! Regresa del muerto!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
The captain started to glance toward
the man, but his gaze caught and stayed on Valoree. The whipping wind
filled the cloth of Jeremy’s jacket, making her appear larger than
she was, and she had to fight to keep her bloody red hair from
covering her eyes. She pulled Jeremy’s hat down further onto her
head and glared at the Spaniard with hatred. The man gaped, then
murmured, “El Rojo?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“S’aai,” the helmsman cried. “El
Rojo, regresa del muerto.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Shut up!” Valoree said in a growl
to the mouthy sailor. She was sick of hearing those words. Stark
terror entered the captain’s face as well. “Tell him to shut up,
Henry,” she said hurriedly.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Henry translated the order into
Spanish, but the panicked helmsman could not have obeyed had he
wished to. He seemed able only to repeat himself over and over.
Irritated, Valoree drew Jeremy’s flintlock pistol and shot him.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
The man dropped to the deck with a
shriek, grabbing for the wound in his leg.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
As if that were the signal for some
preplanned form of action, the Spaniards all made a sudden exodus to
ward the sides of the ship. Taken by surprise, Valoree and the others
could only watch in amazement as the crew of the galleon, as one,
cast themselves screaming into shark-infested water.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Cursing under her breath, Valoree
stalked to the side of the ship and peered down at the men in the sea
below. They were thrashing about in the water, moving in the general
direction of the nearest island. “The gunny cowards,” she
muttered.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Aye,” Henry agreed. He and the
rest of the men had moved closer to peer down at their fleeing
adversaries.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Slamming a palm down on the rail in
frustration, Valoree cursed. “Jumping rather than fighting, can you
imagine?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Henry shook his head. “Spineless
Spanish bastards.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Sighing, she frowned at the water
below. A moment later, One-Eye let out a dismayed oath. Glancing up,
Valoree peered over at where he was pointing. The helmsman was on his
feet, and had hopped to the side of the ship. He was now balancing
himself precariously on the railing. As she watched in amazement, the
man hefted himself over the side of the boat to land with a splash in
the water behind his comrades. It seemed that swimming with sharks
was more attractive than keeping company with ghosts, even for the
wounded man.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Ye want we should shoot them?”
One-Eye asked with little enthusiasm.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Valoree shook her head in disgust.
“Leave go. They are not likely to make it to shore. ‘Sides, none
of them bore the scar.” She desired revenge, but there was no
pleasure in killing cowards.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
The others nodded in agreement.
Besides, this was apparently not the ship of their true enemy. One of
the few things they had learned from Jeremy, ere he took his last
breath, was that the Spaniard who had ordered the torturous deaths of
her brother and so many of his men bore a scar in the shape of a
question mark on his neck. And the captain of this vessel had borne
no such scar.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Sighing, Valoree straightened and
turned to survey the Spanish galleon. “Well,” she said softly,
“it would seem we have a ship.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Aye,” Henry murmured. “That it
would.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Have we enough men to sail it?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Henry surveyed the small number of
their remaining crew. “Aye,” he said. “Enough to get to port
and pick up more men... Captain.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Valoree glanced at him sharply.
“Captain?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
He nodded solemnly. “Aye. Of this,
the Valor II. I’m thinkin’ we’ve got us a fine captain. Ye’ve
the spirit, the courage, the determination... and, better yet, ye’ve
already got yerself a reputation and title.” When she looked
bewildered, he shrugged. “Ye’ve already taken yer first ship. If
any of those men out there survive their swim, all will hear about
their terrifying encounter with Back-from-the-Dead Red.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Valoree rolled her eyes and glanced at
the others. All of them were standing about, nodding in agree ment.
It seemed she had not only stepped into her brother’s clothes, but
she had also stepped into his command. Back-from-the-Dead Red,
indeed. Thanks to a load of superstitious Spaniards, she was now the
captain of some of the most bloodthirsty cutthroats it had ever been
her misfortune to meet- if she wanted them. She was only nineteen.
That was young to be a captain. But then, Jeremy had been only
eighteen when she had helped him purchase and outfit the Valor. And
as for her gender, they already thought her a boy.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Seeing her hesitation, Henry moved
closer. “Now, think on it for a minute before ye go making up your
mind. Cap’n Red - yer brother Jeremy - he did this only to make
some money; then he planned to go claim your family estate, set it to
rights, settle down, and start a family.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Aye, but – “</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“But nothing. Now that dream is
yours.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Valoree blinked at that. “What mean
you, now that dream is mine?” she asked suspiciously.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“I mean, with him gone, ye have to
make his dream come true for him. Claim the inheritance, settle down,
start a family.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Valoree was silent for a moment, then
frowned. “But I do not have the money to – “</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Well, that there is true enough.
That was what Jeremy was doin, earnin’ the money to claim the
estate. It’s not been lived in since ye was a wee babe. He said he
needed a fair sum to put the place to rights.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“And he had earned it,” One-Eye put
in bitterly. “More than enough to claim the land and set it to
rights. We were all to have homes there,” he reminded her. “He
promised all of us a cottage and a little plot of land. He – “</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“The boy knows all about that,
One-Eye,” Henry interrupted, silencing the first-mate.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Aye, I know.” Valoree sighed. “But
the Spaniards took the riches when they killed Jeremy.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
Henry nodded. “Aye. And that means we
would have to start over.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Start over!” Valoree glared at
him. “Eight years it took my brother to acquire that money. Do not
tell me you now want to waste another eight years.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
The man hesitated at that, then cleared
his throat. “Well, now, I been thinkin’ on that, too. It occurs
to me that out there somewhere is a Spanish galleon with yer
brother’s treasure on it- or someone who knows where it is. If we
could just manage to find that...”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“The Spaniard with the scar!”
Valoree exclaimed. Henry nodded solemnly.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“We could kill two birds with one
stone. We could have revenge and settle down in England all nice and
proper, too.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“For life and vengeance,” she
murmured thoughtfully.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
“Aye,” the quartermaster agreed.
“For our life, and Jeremy’s vengeance.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Thanks to Avon Romance for the awesome excerpt! Who else loves pirates? I know I do!</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this post.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-85898383689943756472016-05-25T10:38:00.001-04:002016-05-25T10:38:20.249-04:00Spotlight on "Ride Hard"<b>"Ride Hard"</b><br />
<b>by Laura Kaye</b><br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Avon<br />
<b>Release Date: April 26, 2016</b><br />
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<b>Source:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sent by publisher<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQF7alNboUEJDdzDgocjzkR17xRuTd3gd468wprizV15R5Fq8-l1oRVk1pzu32eYx-6b9GglgcxL3LSPhFSzNe0jckXDyu9lx-elTDPL7oan-8eUJuIXP1Qykatwoux0kKZAI9kysbl8/s1600/ridehard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQF7alNboUEJDdzDgocjzkR17xRuTd3gd468wprizV15R5Fq8-l1oRVk1pzu32eYx-6b9GglgcxL3LSPhFSzNe0jckXDyu9lx-elTDPL7oan-8eUJuIXP1Qykatwoux0kKZAI9kysbl8/s400/ridehard.jpg" width="247" /></a><b>Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23288101-ride-hard" target="_blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">goodreads.com</span>:</a></b></div>
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</span><span id="freeText16184280543045843802"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Brotherhood. Club. Family.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">They live and ride by their own rules.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">These are the Raven Riders . . .</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Raven Riders Motorcycle Club President Dare Kenyon rides hard and values loyalty above all else. He’ll do anything to protect the brotherhood of bikers—the only family he’s got—as well as those who can’t defend themselves. So when mistrustful Haven Randall lands on the club’s doorstep scared that she’s being hunted, Dare takes her in, swears to keep her safe, and pushes to learn the secrets overshadowing her pretty smile.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Haven fled from years of abuse at the hands of her criminal father and is suspicious of any man’s promises, including those of the darkly sexy and overwhelmingly intense Ravens’ leader. But as the powerful attraction between them flares to life, Dare pushes her boundaries and tempts her to want things she never thought she could.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The past never dies without a fight, but Dare Kenyon’s never backed down before . . .</span><a class="jsHide hideAction" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23288101-ride-hard?ac=1&from_search=true#" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; color: #104b8b; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;"> </a></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133365763100301977.post-36059601602060346072016-02-23T12:40:00.002-05:002016-02-23T12:46:14.128-05:00Review and Giveaway! "The Groom Wore Plaid" Blog Tour<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>To celebrate the release of Gayle Callen's newest historical romance, "The Groom Wore Plaid",</b><span style="color: black;"><b> I'm happy to participate in the blog tour with my review and a tour-wide giveaway of FIVE print copies of the book!!</b></span></div>
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<b>"The Groom Wore Plaid"</b><br />
<b>by Gayle Callen</b><br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Avon<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>Feb 23, 2016<br />
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<b>Source:</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>sent by publisher<br />
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<b>My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UNVs9vBUlnvBbP8Wp3sav6L5R2tWaPggW2dto7hVsr65QZ4dmu238VKZS05DkqzlN-FyGn9PvztLO40Un63qWb1aQvFi3jVw_yLywhuWWkEcauist4LiHdA5NT9d1Sbjr9BU869V8bM/s1600/groomworeplaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UNVs9vBUlnvBbP8Wp3sav6L5R2tWaPggW2dto7hVsr65QZ4dmu238VKZS05DkqzlN-FyGn9PvztLO40Un63qWb1aQvFi3jVw_yLywhuWWkEcauist4LiHdA5NT9d1Sbjr9BU869V8bM/s400/groomworeplaid.jpg" width="247" /></a><b>Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25654615-the-groom-wore-plaid" target="_blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">goodreads.com</span>:</a></b></div>
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</span><span id="freeText4698949672491204407"><b>Falling in love means tempting fate in this passionate new novel in <i>USA Today</i> bestselling author Gayle Callen's Highland Weddings series.</b><br />
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Maggie McCallum's dreams about her new fiancé aren't the romantic sort. It's not just that she was bartered to Owen Duff like a piece of property to end a clan feud. She's also haunted by premonitions of his death on their upcoming wedding day. Yet the exasperating Highlander won't let her call it off, even though his life and his clan are both in jeopardy.<br />
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Owen has wanted Maggie in his bed since he first glimpsed her years ago. If their union restores peace between their clans, so much the better. But while lusting after another chief's sister had its risks, growing to trust Maggie is far more dangerous. Owen is falling deeply in love with the one woman he cannot hope to claim . . . and survive.</span> </blockquote>
<b>My Review:</b><br />
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Books like this are why I love historical romance novels. I lost myself for an entire morning reading this book as quickly as possible. The story and the writing flowed along so nicely, the pages just kept turning almost of their own accord. I've read romances were the <i>actual romance</i> between the leads might have been stronger or more star crossed, but I loved the way this book had balance. The supporting characters and side mystery really drew me in as much as the romance story.<br />
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The romance was much more of a slow burn between the hero and heroine but it was quite believable that way considering the circumstances. Maggie and Owen had met and actually had a bit of a romance when they were teenagers. But Own was betrothed to another woman, and dismissed Maggie's visions of the death of his bride as a jealous ploy for his attention. Flash forward ten years, and Maggie's vision had come true, and the couple finds themselves betrothed as part of a contract between their two families.<br />
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Maggie has a vision of Owen dying this time, and she devises ways to keep him at arms' length and even make him think she is an unsuitable bride. Of course, he wants to marry her anyway and it's so cute to see him immune to all of her plots to make herself both unattractive and disagreeable.<br />
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The leads are strong, Owen is so serious and tries to make himself unaffected by any emotions. He comes along nicely though, and his attraction and affection for Maggie is always apparent. Maggie is somewhat funny in her attempts to keep Owen away. It does become just a bit tiresome to hear her always referring to her dream of his death, but it shows how seriously she takes her visions. <br />
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The supporting characters are so much fun and keep the story lighthearted. Kathleen, Maggie's maid is so sweet and genuine. Cat, Owen's sister, is refreshing in that she is always on Maggie's side even though their family's don't get along.<br />
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<i></i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Characters: 5/5 </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Supporting Characters: 5/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Setting: 5/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Romance: 5/5 </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Uniqueness: 4/5</span><br />
<span class="userReview"><span class="reviewText" id="freeTextreview80727034"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cover: 4/5 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Writing: 5/5</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom Line:</span> Gayle Callen hits it out of the park with this historical romance. There is a little something for everyone and the romance, the storyline, and the characters all tie together for a seamless, page-turning read.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
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<b>Purchase Here:</b><br />
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<b>THE GROOM WORE PLAID –</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062268006/the-groom-wore-plaid">http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062268006/the-groom-wore-plaid</a><br />
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<b>THE GROOM WORE PLAID</b> on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25654615-the-groom-wore-plaid" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br />
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<b>HIGHLAND WEDDINGS</b> series on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/147068-highland-weddings" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br />
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<b>About the Author</b><br />
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After a detour through fitness instructing and computer programming, GAYLE CALLEN found the life she’d always dreamed of as a romance writer. This USA Today bestselling author has written more than twenty historical romances for Avon Books, and her novels have won the Holt Medallion, the Laurel Wreath Award, the Booksellers’ Best Award, and been translated into eleven different languages. The mother of three grown children, an avid crafter, singer, and outdoor enthusiast, Gayle lives in Central New York with her dog Uma and her husband, Jim the Romance Hero. She also writes contemporary romances as Emma Cane.<br />
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Visit her website at <a href="http://www.gaylecallen.com/">www.gaylecallen.com</a>.<br />
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<b>Connect with Gayle Callen</b><br />
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Website - <a href="http://www.gaylecallen.com/">www.gaylecallen.com</a><br />
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Twitter – <a href="https://twitter.com/GayleCallen">https://twitter.com/GayleCallen</a><br />
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Facebook – <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GayleCallen">https://www.facebook.com/GayleCallen</a><br />
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Goodreads – <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/46974.Gayle_Callen">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/46974.Gayle_Callen</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Tour-Wide Giveaway!</b></span><br />
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The publisher is giving away FIVE copies of "The Groom Wore Plaid" during the blog tour! Enter for your chance to win below! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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Carrie at In the Hammock Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01496016097652195216noreply@blogger.com2