A multitude of lessons fell into my lap when I decided to challenge myself to try something new. But nothing says I can’t go back to the literary fiction where I began my journey twenty years ago. It’s never too late to realize the biggest limitation to my writing career had been sitting at my very own desk—me.
Source: One Series and a Multitude of Lessons | Romance University
It’s an exciting day! The box set, Shades of Love, with ten different authors and ten different novels, releases today. Many of the books have never been released before and you can download the whole set for only 99 cents on Amazon or read for free in Kindle Unlimited. Enjoy!
Whether prince or pauper, beauty or beast, cupid entangles unsuspecting hearts. From the exchange of a glance to the throes of romance, follow these couples as they discover that love has no limits. Indulge your taste for adventure with ten diverse tales from familiar and exotic parts of the globe. Shades of Love is brought to you by a select group of award-winning and best-selling writers, whose stories feature couples who close the cultural divide through their love.
“Good morning, Arlene. Vince kindly invited me to tag along. It’ll only take a minute,” Josie says as she gets off the couch and scampers into the bedroom.
I sit on the couch and cross my legs, folding my hands over my knee. “How are you, Vince?”
“Good, now that I see you again.” He moves over to the couch and takes my hand in his. “Last night was not long enough for me to get to know you.”
His deep, piercing stare is doing weird things to my stomach. It’s so dark, almost as dark as his hair. The man is a walking poster of fineness. I snap back to reality. “I enjoyed myself. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for me today.”
“After we eat, the whole day is open to do whatever you want. If you like beaches, I would love to take you to the stunning coast of Playas del Este. There are beautiful beaches that I think you’ll love.”
I feel that same smile from last night returning to curl my lips. “I’d love to go exploring with you.”
I’m happy to announce the release of a new box set in collaboration with nine other authors. The box set may be pre-ordered now for $0.99. Release date is November 7. It is also in Kindle Unlimited so KU members can read for free!
Shades of Love
Love knows no boundaries and bridges the gap between creed and culture.
Whether prince or pauper, beauty or beast, cupid entangles unsuspecting hearts. From the exchange of a glance to the throes of romance, follow these couples as they discover that love has no limits. Indulge your taste for adventure with ten diverse tales from familiar and exotic parts of the globe.
Shades of Love is brought to you by a select group of ten award-winning and best-selling writers, whose stories feature couples who close the cultural divide through their love.
CLAIMING LANA, Reana Malori. Sworn enemies or passionate lovers? When forced to work together, Jake and Lana find just what they need.
CALIENTE NIGHTS, Suzette Riddick. One Cuban. One African American. Will attraction win out?
THE BLIND SHOT, J.L. Campbell. Strangers in a strange land can’t help what happens naturally despite opposition to their love.
WHEN EAST MEETS WEST, Annamaria Bazzi. Italian and Lebanese cultures clash into love.
WOULD SMELL AS SWEET, Janae Keyes. A passionate thriller – can one stalker end the perfect romance?
POSTCARDS FROM HAVANA, Toye-Lawson Brown. A trip to Cuba and a return to home bring a couple to their destiny.
THIRD BASE, P.C. Zick. Puerto Rican and Italian cultures collide but can’t stop the passion.
THE BEST GAME, Hebby Roman. A return home starts the chase to make romantic dreams come true.
SMALL TOWN BOY, Caroline Bell-Foster. First loves reunite despite conflicting careers.
SOMETIMES MONEY AIN’T ENOUGH, Stacy-Deanne. A powerful woman finds out money can’t buy love.
Reana Malori is an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of sensual and contemporary romance. She weaves stories that pull the reader into her world and to share in her universe, even if only for a short time. Her stories feature women you’d love to hang out with and men who love them with everything they have.
Suzette Riddick enjoys writing romance novels with real life situations readers can relate to. She’s an Amazon bestselling author of African American Romance. In 2013, she was nominated for an Emma Award and was a featured author in USA Today ~ Happy Ever After.
J.L. Campbell is an award-winning, Jamaican author who writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, sweet romance, women’s fiction, as well as new and young adult novels. She is a certified editor, who also writes non-fiction.
Annamaria Bazzi – Love is an important part of life, not just something to be experienced but also to be read. After thirty-one years of marriage, and still going strong, Annamaria Bazzi believes in the happily ever after. This strong belief transcends into her romance novels—every person deserves his and her own happy ever after. Annamaria writes contemporary romances to bring new love experiences to her readers. She also writes young adult sci-fi/fantasy and dabbles in paranormal short stories.
Janae Keyes – Janae Keyes is an American mom, wife, and hopeless romantic living in Europe. She loves to explore various cultures coming together through the magic of love. Residing in a suburb of Brussels, Belgium, with her husband and daughter, Janae loves to share her passion for romance with others.
Toye-Lawson Brown is an Amazon bestselling author of multicultural romance novels. In 2014 she was nominated by the B.R.A.B Book Club for Breakout Author of the Year.
P.C. Zick – Bestselling and award-winning author, P.C. Zick, creates contemporary romances with a social consciousness. She describes herself as a storyteller no matter what she writes. Strong female leads, handsome and heroic men, and descriptive settings grace more than a dozen published novels.
Hebby Roman is a New York traditionally published, small-press published, and Indie published #1 Amazon best-selling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her book, BORDER HEAT, was a Los Angeles Times Book Festival selection. She has been a RONE Finalist three times and in three different categories.
Caroline Bell Foster is an internationally bestselling, multi award-winning British author of diverse romantic fiction and named as one of the most influential people in culture & entertainment in the East Midlands, England.
Stacy-Deanne (Dee-Anne) is an award-winning author of sensual romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction books. She’s written Amazon Top 100 bestsellers, and her work has been praised and reviewed in USA Today numerously. Stacy’s books are full of passion, thrills, intriguing characters and so much emotion you can’t get enough! If you want something different and unpredictable then definitely check out her work.
Hello – It’s an exciting day for me. The past few months have been spent re-vamping my contemporary romance series, Behind the Love. Each of the first three novels, Behind the Altar, Behind the Bar, and Behind the Curtain have new covers and new content. All three are now full-length novels. And while working on them, I was also writing the fourth book in the series, Behind the Door, which is set to release May 16. Make sure you scroll all the way down this post to enter the giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card to celebrate the reveal of the new and improved Behind the Love series.
BEHIND THE LOVE SERIES
Click here to get some wonderful deals on eBooks July 15-17.
Minty’s Kiss is one of the featured deals offered for only 99 cents.
About Minty’s Kiss – When Molly retreats to North Carolina with Gracie, her ten-year-old daughter, she’s surprised to find her childhood crush, Nick, still living in the area. Months before her retreat, Molly’s husband announces he’s leaving to sail around the world with his best friend. She divorces him and takes Gracie and Harold, her seventeen-year-old cat, to the Smoky Mountains where she spent many happy childhood vacations. The morning after her arrival, Nick shows up on her porch, and he is even more handsome than she remembered. She feels the flush of her adolescent crush heating up. Minty’s Kiss is a sweet romantic novella, filled with holiday cheer brought to life by an adorable kitten.
Excerpt:
“Mommy, Harold isn’t here.”
Molly’s daughter Gracie jumped onto her bed, forcing her eyes open. It felt as if she’d only been sleeping for a few minutes. Molly sat up, rubbing her eyes.
“He’s probably hiding in a closet or under a bed.”
“No, he’s out in the woods somewhere. He ran outside when I opened the door to go out on the porch.”
Molly wondered how Harold managed to run anywhere these days, but he’d always been a bolter when a door opened. He loved being outside, particularly when he came to the mountains where he’d been born.
“He won’t go far. He’s too slow these days.”
“He wasn’t slow when he pushed past me and jumped off the porch.”
Molly got out of bed and pulled on her sweats that she’d peeled off the night before, dead tired after an eight-hour drive to the cabin from Jacksonville, Florida. Pulling a trailer behind her truck proved to be more challenging than she imagined. But they’d made it back to the place where Molly first fell in love and always felt safe. She inherited the cabin when her father died in May. When Molly’s husband announced a few months later that sailing the world with his best friend was more important than being a father to their daughter and a husband to her, the cabin provided Molly a lifeline. So she’d done what her own mother had done eighteen years earlier and moved her daughter and herself back to the cabin in North Carolina after her divorce. She vowed not to follow her mother’s example and kept her bitterness at Derek’s abandonment from Gracie. Besides, she loved Murphy, the mountains, and the small cabin that her father had neglected during his years of battling cancer. And more importantly, Molly made the decision to divorce Derek once she gazed into the huge gap in how each envisioned their relationship. Often on the drive from Jacksonville to Murphy, she wondered about Nick. She hadn’t seen him since she was a teenager, and he had girls his own age hanging all over him. He was probably married with two kids, so she put him out of her mind.
Molly walked out to the broad porch that ran the length of the cabin. She breathed in the mountain air and looked out at the fog masking the view of the Smokies. She’d always loved watching the “smoke” glide away in wisps of clouds, slowly revealing the tree-covered mountains.
“Harold, here kitty. Come on, Harold. Breakfast time.” She whistled her special call, which usually brought the old cat rambling in his walk of old age to find out what the fuss was.
“Hello, Molly.”
Molly turned sharply toward the driveway and watched as a tall man with blonde hair walked around the trailer she’d driven from Jacksonville. She knew instantly who it was, and immediately she felt safe. Nick Johnson. Her one-time best friend and childhood crush. The man she vowed to marry one day.
“Nick? Is it really you?” He took the four steps up to the porch in one giant leap and then he engulfed her in his arms.
“You’re all grown up, Molly, but I’d recognize you anywhere.”
“Same for you. It’s good to see you.”
“I heard about your dad. He was a good man.”
“Thank you. He was sick for a long time with cancer, so it was really a blessing when he passed.”
Nick nodded. “Did I hear you calling for Harold? You still have Harold?”
“Sure do. He’s an old man now, but he made the trip with us.”
“Us?”
Just then the front door opened, and Gracie came out onto the porch.
“Mommy, did he come back?”
Click on photo to be taken away for some special treats!
35 Romance Authors are offer 36 Books for FREE!Don’t miss this event running from Monday, July 11th through Thursday, July 14th.
Sign up for access to these FREE romance reads you’ll be downloading from Amazon.com!
I love helping my fellow authors celebrate their new releases, so today I’m happy to announce that Ey Wade released two novels this month. Both of them could be classified as political intrigue with a touch of romance. Or perhaps a bit more than a touch of romance. Judge for yourself with these excerpts!
Ribbons & Belle Gorgeous, dedicated fertility counselor Tyson Ribbons, has admired and loved embryologist, Anabelle “Belle” Lee for a long time. When she comes in for counseling he fights everything within him not to deter her from her plans.
Doesn’t stop his heart from wishing it could be him fulfilling her desire.
Anabelle Lee, mourning her inability to have a child of her own, suffered through two miscarriages, a heartbreaking late-term abortion, and a soul-crushing divorce. As an embryologist, she has protected the potential life of many frozen specimens and lived envious of the women choosing InVitro fertilization as their form of reproduction.
After a bit of encouragement from her best friend, and counseling from the very perfect Dr. Ribbons, Anabelle takes steps to fulfill her desire to become a mother.
Problem is, the announcement brings more of a shock than a gift.
Anabelle Lee carefully slotted the test tubes into their assigned spots. The gray matter rising from the liquid nitrogen in the vacuum lined tanks, gave her the urge to cough, but she dared not. Any amount of germs had the potential of contamination and death to the minute life forms. At least, that’s how she felt.
Closing the lid to the container, she pushed the required buttons, locked the precious vials and lowered them to safety. With one last look over her shoulder before leaving the room, Anabelle sighed and closed the door. She hadn’t realized she was crying until her friend and fellow embryologists, slid a wad of Kleenex into her hands.
“Belle, why do you do this to yourself? I just don’t understand. No one coming in here deserves a child more than you. You know all of the risks, you see the donor lists and can have your pick. Call your gyne for counseling and set yourself up for In Vitro or artificial insemination.”
“I want to, but I don’t want to be disappointed. I’m not sure I’m ready for another heartache.”
“I can understand your feelings after everything you’ve been through and that sorry-assed husband of yours leaving right after you lost the baby. He didn’t even hang around long enough to see her buried. But that was three years ago. He’s moved on with life, married someone else and has a baby of his own. You deserve that same kind of happiness.
Go out, pick you a live body and either get you some and have you a baby or count up your pennies and splurge on a test tube. Here,” Sunny riffled through the pockets of her scrubs, pulling out hands full of change and paraphernalia, sorting through to put the coins on the desk and push in Belle’s direction.“Here’re seventy-five cents, to start the fund.”
Belle choked and giggled at the same time, which ended up sounding like an animal being tortured and caused her to end up wobbling in her chair and banging against the desk from laughter.
“God, you’re so crass, Sunny. You make it sound as if I’m walking into the cosmetic aisle of any mass market store and picking out a tube of lipstick.”
“Well, having the right tube is just as important as having the perfect shade of color on your lips. You know, that batch you just locked into that frozen pits of a tundra, does have one of the best specimens. Or you can simply pluck him from his office, drug him, take him home, and tuck him into your bed. Not to sleep of course. The two…”
“Stop, that’s just a stupid rumor, I’m sure. Something to keep the nurses speculating. Anyway, we practically work together. I can’t use him like that.” Annabelle straightened herself under the desk and began ticking the keys of the computer. “Besides, who says he would go anywhere with me?”
Click here to purchase on Amazon.
Ismet’s HonorSunny Verdi Reyes, has always wanted the “good life.” Husband, home, lot’s of children. After cheering on her best friend and fellow embryologist Belle, through her successful quest for her dream, she wanted those things even more.
Unfortunately, Sunny broke the heart of her fantasy years earlier and it would take more than wishful thinking to get him back.
At 17, unable to voice his opinion against an unwanted abortion, Ismet Honorable O’Neal ran from the girl who killed his dream of the perfect life and the white picket fence.
Now he spends his time aiding other men in being the voice in the lives of their children.
Years later, he returns and Sunny is waiting.
She’s going to need more than the love in her eyes to repair the fences.
Three of the five containers of infant formula slipped from his grasp, falling with the weight of bricks on the ends of his loafers. The pain to his toes, nothing when compared with the unexpected sharpness stabbing his chest.
He froze, listening to her voice as he eavesdropped on her one-sided conversation.
“Belle, will you stop talking? All I asked was what size should I get? I didn’t ask for a commentary or a price list on the gifts I’ve already bought for my godchildren. Furthermore…”
Her voice slowly faded away, dragging Ismet’s composure with it. He stood, shaking like a leaf and peering between the columns of baby diapers and infant paraphernalia at the woman who had crushed his soul, years previously.
Without conscious thought, Ismet found himself scurrying through the doors of the supermarket and into his car. The task of purchasing supplies for the childcare center, completely forgotten. His main focus, to put as much distance to his memories and reality as possible.
Which wasn’t far. He pulled the car over as soon as he could find a safe spot. Resting his forehead on the steering wheel.
He hadn’t expected the sight of Sunny to impact him so hard. After all, he hadn’t seen her in ten years but would know her anywhere.
She was more mature- at least her body was, but the voice was still the same. As was his reaction to her. Heart palpitations, joy, lust and retreat. Yes, same-o-same-o.
The last time he’d seen her, he’d run. Ran from her, his home, and what had become the end of his life. That night was the death of his dreams. A night he’d done his best to keep buried. Seeing her, unearthed all of that. He was shaken to his roots and his mind reflected the turmoil. Spilling its secrets…
–“You really gonna let her make you do this? You gonna let her kill our baby?”
“I don’t have a choice. She’s my momma. I’ve only been sixteen two weeks and here I am pregnant with a baby. Met, what can I do with a baby? How can I finish school? Go to college? I can’t be a mom, right now.”
“I thought you loved me. Wanted our baby.”
“I do.”
At the touch of her hands on his shoulder, he shook it off. The contact seeming to burn him with desire and freeze his heart at the same time. This was the person, who, in one night soared him to the sky with the announcement she was pregnant and then casually tossed him to the pits of hell with the plans for an abortion.
She sat quietly. Gaze transfixed to the movements of her fingers in her lap, while he opened the door of the car and went to sit on its hood. With every step, he wanted to fall apart.
There was nothing he could do. Nothing or no one able to help him. Sunny was right, they couldn’t go above her mother’s demands. If only it were possible to make her carry the baby and then give it to me. Would she even contemplate the thought?
With a small turn of his head, he glanced in her direction. There she sat, stone-faced in the car. He wondered if she truly cared. If the whispers of love she’d mouthed for years was simply the fantasy of a teenage girl deep in the throes of her first relationship. Did she even care for him with the same intensity he had for her? From the corner of his eyes, he watched Sunny staring, as if she were unable to move and join him.
The hurt was a physical tearing in his chest that radiated in his back. It wasn’t possible Sunny felt anywhere near as helpless and devastated as he was feeling. She had the upper hand. It was her body, her child- until it was dead. The finality took the last bit of strength from his body and he fell across the hood of the car, crying loudly in despair. The deep sobs tearing his heart apart.
The thud of the metal hitting metal roused him from is misery. A simple hug would’ve meant a lot. A word of comfort or remorse would’ve been a balm to his spirit. Instead, he watched her shoulder her purse and without a glance in his direction, she strolled up the concrete path to her mother’s house. The taps of her heels as they walked the sidewalk to the front door, the closing snap- an end to his wishful dreams. Each a part of the collection of sounds that echoed in his nightmares for years.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.
About Ey Wade: Ey considers herself to be a caged in frustrated author of thought provoking, mind bending books in several genres. She is the mother of three adult daughters that were previously home-schooled and the drooling ‘Lovey’ to a little boy. Ey was born in Texas and reared as an Army brat. There is the constant need to speak, so writing and telling stories is the way she chooses to socialize.
Website: http://wade-inpublishing.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/@jumpouttheboat
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eywade2
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/itsmeeywade/
Amazon Central Author Page: http://bit.ly/EyWade-Amz
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/EyonGReads
Please join my fellow colleague Annamaria Bazzi on her Round Table Chat today. She and another fellow author, K.S. Thomas, are discussing Karina’s latest romance, One Last Chapter.
From Annamaria: “All we need is a cup of coffee, maybe a cappuccino and tune into the Round Table Chat to discover the latest news about an author. To indulge in this latest news, grab your favorite drink and join me on the Round Table Chat.”
Click here to enter the Round Table!
I’m very excited to announce the release of this box set filled with thirteen novels from thirteen different authors. Each steamy romance is the first book in a series from the individual author. It’s exciting because you might discover a new bestselling author in this set, knowing that there are more books to read by your new discovery!
Love your romance with variety? Love the joy of knowing you’re finding a brand new series with more fab books to follow?
FIRST GLANCE gives you THIRTEEN, very different, exciting series for you to fall in love with! There’s something for every taste in these THIRTEEN romances from USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors. From light paranormal, to Motorcycle Club romantic suspense, to New Adult, reunited first loves and sports and even a taste of forbidden love. First Glance has it all: sexy heroes and smart heroines in love stories to make you cheer, sigh, and beg for more.
And the best part? The whole set is only $0.99 for a limited time.
Purchase Links
Here’s a peek at what you’ll find in this set.
X Marks the Spot – Kimmie Easley – When her family comes under fire, Jolene rushes home to save the MC, only to find that her ex, Ronin, is wanted for murder. Can Jolene let go of their tortured past in order to save their future?
It’s a Marshmallow World – Diane Rinella – Once upon a time, Darla was given a mystical gift, along with an ominous message. Now, meeting Chris puts her head in a spin. Could it be that gift from long ago holds the key to their happiness?
Racing Hearts – Marcia James – Stock car legend, Tom “Torque” Tyler, faces a bleak future following a traumatic head injury and seizures. Determined to drag her high-school crush from his self-imposed solitude, service dog trainer, Meg Klein, and a tiny but talented seizure response dog bring Tom hope and love.
Just Dessert – Kelly Collins – A chance meeting, a book club, and a penchant for dessert will change everything.
Conflicted On 5th Avenue – Abbie St. Claire – Chance made them neighbors. Chemistry made them lovers. Will fate make them a family?
Playing for Keeps – Michele Shriver – Hockey star Colton Tremblay’s bad-boy reputation got him traded from Montreal to the expansion San Antoio Generals. As a female reporter, Maya Dominguez can’t afford distractions from the players she’s assigned to report on, but Colton is used to getting what he wants. Can he persuade Maya that this time, he is playing for keeps?
Perfection – J.L. Campbell – A girl, a guy, a toddler, a pesky ex. Will love triumph over adversity? Natasha and Karim have been burned a time or two, and are giving relationships a break, but their fascination with each other is stronger than their willpower. Natasha must put aside her mistrust of the opposite sex and Karim has to spill his secrets, before they explode and kill his chances with Natasha, who makes him want things he’s sworn to give up.
A Medieval Encounter – Aubrey Wynne – Without the use of magic, court wizard Rolf must convince Melissa their love is genuine in order to lift a centuries old enchantment before time runs out.
Behind the Altar – P.C. Zick – All seems perfect in Leah’s life until tattoo artist Dean rides his Harley into her heart. Dean is drawn to Leah’s natural beauty and genuine goodness, but Leah’s engagement to Dean’s brother stands in the way. The more they fight the attraction, the harder it is to stay apart.
Silent Love – Casey Clipper – Navy SEAL vet Sean is finally ready to trade in his playboy lifestyle for a serious relationship. He thinks he’s found the perfect woman in Beth—but will her painful past cut their blossoming love short?
Taming Romeo – Rachelle Ayala – Evie Sanchez is recovering from heartbreak when she runs into Romeo Garcia, the boy she left behind. Now a movie star, Romeo never understood why Evie stood him up. He whisks her away on his motorcycle and reignites her love with romance and adventure. Is the fantasy real or revenge? Evie and Romeo are about to discover if their buried feelings will explode in pure delight or utter disaster.
The Sound of Consequence – Susan Ann Wall – When Stacie Nightingale starts her new life in Seattle, she doesn’t expect one unexpected night of passion with her new neighbor Owen Landry to change her life forever. She’ll face her own trauma and accept Owen’s sordid past to finally find happiness – and love.
Body Work – Bonnie Edwards – Lisa Brady Delaney left Tyce Branton in her rearview mirror. Years later, she needs his help. But is she the girl he remembers or an independent beauty who’ll never need him again?
