Another 'First'

 

           Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

This year has had a number of ‘firsts’ for me and it’s kind of unsettling, but also a bit exciting. I’ve never had a book up for Pre-Order so that was a first (and a very exciting one at that…check it out).

https://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Miss-Miller-Matchmaker-Mischief-ebook/dp/B0DB2QFV6P

So what new ‘first’ happened recently?

I took my car to the car wash. I’ve never ever done that before. I’m one of those….wash my car in the yard with a bucket, sponge and hose. I’ve always done it that way simply because I’m frugal (the DH would say cheap, but it’s not cheap to do things yourself…it’s spending money wisely…at least that’s the way I look at it).

Anyway, as you may know, I live in Arizona…Phoenix, specifically…and this year, the heat just…got to me. I’d much rather spend my time hibernating in the coolness of air conditioning than do anything outside. In fact, if I didn’t have to leave the house, that was just fine with me (although we all know it’s not possible…there are errands to run and the day job, too).

So I was looking at my car one morning as I was getting ready to go to work and noticed (no, not for the first time, but I was ignoring it) just how absolutely dirty it was so I decided: why not take it to one of the many, many car washes around here? I kid you not, in the space of a three-mile radius, there are at least eight car washes—two within a mile of each other. So I did and…

I didn’t like it very much. I’m a tad claustrophobic so being inside my car inside the building with all that soap and water and brushes coming at my face…well, my anxiety level shot up a bit…but that wasn’t my biggest fear. It was being pulled along by the conveyor belt, the sound it made…and rolling off at the end. That’s where my anxiety level really spike…there was a terrible sound as I came to the end of my journey and put the car in drive. I think it was just the sound of coming off that conveyor belt, but I’m not sure. All I know is that it startled me.  

I spent the next couple days worrying that I may have damaged my tire (my new one). I didn’t, of course, but that didn’t stop me from obsessing about it or checking a couple times a day.

Will I do it again? Maybe, but I think the next time, I’ll try a different location…maybe one of those where they wash your car by hand and I won’t have to go through that weird tube…and most importantly, roll off that conveyor belt.

Other than that exciting (and scary) experience, things here in the Patrick household are good. I’m working hard. Writing, writing, writing and taking care of everything, which is what I do. The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan is coming along pretty well. I so love it when my characters surprise me and they are surprising me! And I’m expecting edits for The Maverick & Miss Miller within the next few days. I’m excited about that, too.

And that’s about all for me. Still lots more stuff to be done and so little time to do it. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Witch is Back by Sophie Morgan

 I had to dive into a witchy book before the season because I love them!  I'm sure I'll have more for you this fall.

Emmaline Bluewater has left her witch family of her own accords.  Chicago offers her a new family of friends, including her mixed mutt familiar, a suave bar named Toil and Trouble, and purposefully not using magic- most of the time. 

Contracted to marry Bastian Truenote in order to bring hierarchy to her family, Emma wanted OUT after he left without a word, note, or any explanation.  That's when she found her new and very pleasing lifestyle owning a bar and running her own life without her meddling mother.

Always the cavalier and carefree warlock, Bastian left for Egypt and any other location he fancied immediately before the marriage was to take place to Emma, his BFF in childhood.

They both didn't know why he left, avoiding the nuptials.  

Curses and hexes played a part in both their naivete of the sudden change in course, but Bastian came back.  He had to marry Emma to save his mother.

And the story gets more tangled on who threw the last spell, how to undo them, and who's to really blame in the game of love and marriage.  

Choose this romcom as your start to the witchy season only a few short weeks away!  

Spooky reading,

Dawn

CONFOUNDING THE EARL by Lexi Post only 99¢ on Preorder!

 

Confounding the Earl

(Courting a Curious Lady #2)

by Lexi Post

Releasing in 2 weeks but available for only 99¢ on Preorder

He made her successful. So why does he feel like he’s failed?

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon DE  

Lady Dorothea Ansley knows she baffles her mother and annoys her father with her prattle. Luckily, her fellow Curious Ladies are patient with her and great company during the season. But the season is coming to a close, and she is still without an offer of marriage. She needs a proposal quickly before her mother’s wandering eye causes a scandal and all chances of marriage disappear. As she stands alone at the final ball, she unwittingly catches the attention of Lord Harewood, but in a very different way than she expects.

Lord Felton Ambrose is quite good at predicting what will occur next whether it be in parliament or the next couple to be betrothed, but he never would have predicted Lady Dorothea’s conversation at the season’s final fete would be of any interest to him in the least. Curious if the moment was simply a serendipitous occurrence, he ensures that she’s invited to his family’s upcoming house party. She is the perfect lady for whom to find a suitor and achieve his goal of improving the reputation of the Belinda School for Curious Ladies to best honor the woman after which it was named.

Though his social experiment is a success and multiple men become enamored of Lady Dorothea, he is not at all happy. The lady has changed according to his sage advice, and she has taught him a few lessons on happiness in the process. By all rights, he should be basking in the glow of a goal reached, a victory hard won, but for the first time in his life, he fears he may, just possibly, have been wrong. Has he done the greatest disservice to Lady Dorothea, to the school, and to himself? More importantly, will he be too late to rectify his mistake?

Tropes:

·       Pygmalion/My Fair Lady

·       Spirited Heroine

·       Grumpy/Sunshine

·       Wallflower

·       Brooding Earl

·       Close proximity

·       Secret goal

·       Regency House party

About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

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A Pre-Order & A Contest

 

Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        I have some exciting news (a couple of ‘firsts’ for me)! My novel The Maverick & Miss Miller, the first story in the Matchmaker Mischief series, is up for pre-order. Why is this exciting (and a little scary)? I’ve never had a book up for pre-order! Here’s the link and what it’s about.

https://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Miss-Miller-Matchmaker-Mischief-ebook/dp/B0DB2QFV6P

Who ever heard of a mail-order husband?

Evie Miller certainly hadn’t until Jake Hannigan showed up on her doorstep thanks to an advertisement her niece placed in papers all over the country, unbeknownst to her. Evie has absolutely no need for a husband. She has managed Montaña del Trueno, the Silva family ranch, and raised her late sister’s children to full-grown and married. Now, she plans to spend her days enjoying the fruits of her labor. But the man did come a long way, so rather than send him home, she offers him a job. Though she has no use for a husband, she can always use another ranch hand.

Jake Hannigan, a former gambler, has no desire to marry either—not really—he’s just looking for a place to hide until the gambling kingpin in San Francisco stops looking for him, and what better place to do it than this ranch in New Mexico? He’s happy to accept the position as ranch hand even if he knows nothing about cowboying or how to ride a horse. He’s a fast learner, though, and it could be entertaining to see who else answers the husband-wanted advertisement.

It doesn’t take long for Jake to catch on, even discovering he has a special talent with horses. He’s also quick to understand what a catch Evie Miller actually is. As their friendship blossoms, he finds himself dreading the next suitor to come to the ranch and the possibility Evie will accept an offer of marriage. How can he reveal his growing feelings to her when he came under false pretenses, especially now that word from San Francisco says the kingpin is close and his life is in danger? He has only one choice. To protect Evie and her family, he must leave and quite possibly break both their hearts.

        And that’s not all! I entered A Kiss in the Shadows into a BookSweeps contest. I’ve never done that before either.

https://booksweeps.com/giveaway/azbb-historical-romance/

And that’s it for me. Gotta get back to work. The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan, the next story in the Matchmaker Mischief series, won’t write itself.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

No Perfect Love by Rue Lennox

 Avery has a lot of walls built all around her with a conviction that they won't be knocked down.  She loves and hates children.  She loves being a teacher but hates the fact she can't have her own.  

She leads a rough biker life on the outside.  Inside, there's a lot more to her.  

Carter has been a bad boy all his life and wants to hold on to that philosophy.  It's a tough ride of pretending especially when he's taken on the task of being a police officer.  

When Avery needs help, Carter is at her feet.  She doesn't pull and he doesn't push.  They kind of stalk each other's sensitivity, wondering and examining the others' reaction to new situations.

Family and friends see the match for what it is...something they should pursue.  The tricks and games played need to come to a finale because that's where love will be admitted and cherished. 

The Maverick & Miss Miller Cover Reveal

 

          Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

Do you remember my last post, where I lamented on filling out the Cover Art form for my publisher? As I said then, I was struggling with the blurb but finally (yay! Finally) got it done. Believe me, I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the help I received. I thank my wonderful critique partner and generous with her time friend for helping me. Trust me, I couldn’t have done it without them so thank you both! Once again, you saved me!

Anyway, I remember telling you all how I see Evie Miller and Jake Hannigan. And here is the finished product from my publisher’s fabulous artist.

 

            I love it! They managed to capture exactly what I saw in my head (and what I wrote down on my Cover Art form). I prefer a ‘clinch’ for my covers…the hero and heroine in an embrace, looking like they’re just about to kiss. The story takes place on a ranch in New Mexico so I love the cacti and flowers (she gardens) as well as the barn and the horses. And I love the colors of the sky! It’s beautiful! Again, my kudos to the artist. I’m so happy with the result! Can’t wait for you all to read The Maverick & Miss Miller!

And on that note, I should get back to work on the next story in this series, The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan!  

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Her Perfect Revenge by Anna Mara

How can you get revenge on someone you love?  Just don't admit you love them and carry out your plan.

Christina can never forget the humiliation in school that sent her to another school.  It was caused by the drunken bully, Bill.  If she ever sees him again...

The next time Christina sees Bill, it's from behind a bumper.  She rear-ends his sports car.

Can you believe he doesn't even realize who she is, that he devastated her as a teenager?

Time to get even with the drunken rich boy.

Bill has no idea why this pretty lady hates him when she hit his car.  He can turn the tables on that because she can't afford the fifty thousand dollars to fix it.  Bill's father wants grandchildren and for Bill to straighten up, thus his idea develops.

The deal is that she pretends to marry him and her debt will be forgiven.

Simple enough.  This gives Christina the opportunity to get revenge on him.

Something else is going on while they fake the love and let's get married plan.  An attraction that neither one will admit douses the boiling tempers and fake plans.  Is the alternate idea a good one?  The thought of being honest?  Romance requires honesty and we all prefer that!

Happy reading,

Dawn