Jessica Nelson Interview and THE MATCHMAKER'S MATCH Giveaway

Alexis: Today we have Inspirational Romance author Jessica Nelson. She's giving away a copy of The Matchmaker’s Match, so be sure to answer her question for a chance to win!

So Jessica, what was the first romance you ever read? 

Jessica: I'm pretty sure it was one of my mom's Skye O'Malley books by Beatrice Small. She had them stacked in a closet and I, being an avid reader, found them. Let's just say that my education was greatly enhanced by her novels. *cough and wink* 

Alexis: I get that. For me it was Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss. Whoa, I learned a lot. What does your family think of your writing career?  

Jessica: I have an amazing family! They have been so supportive and think writing books is very cool. I've heard of other writers being ridiculed or scoffed at for choosing writing but I have been super blessed. Every single person has wished me the best in writing :-) 

Alexis: That’s excellent! What was your first writer’s conference? 

Jessica: My first conference was the Florida Christian Writer's Conference and it was absolutely amazing. Being around other writers felt like coming home. Plus, I was so excited to pitch my book to an agent. And then I found out it was supposed to be finished first! Whoops. :-) But that agent, Steve Laube, was incredibly kind and gentle and gave me sound advice. 

Alexis: We can all use advice now and then. Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite character?

Jessica: Right now, I think it would be Amelia in my newest release. She's just so strong and plucky. She's the kind of person I admire, even if she always thinks she's right. 

Alexis: She sounds like fun. So I just have to ask, because I know so many writers like sweets. What is your favorite treat? Why?

Jessica: I adore anything that combines mint and chocolate or raspberry and chocolate. I think Godiva Dark Chocolate truffles are the BEST!! There is no favorite, really, it just depends on my mood ;-)

Alexis: Jessica, thank you so much for visiting and bringing your gorgeous cover of The Matchmaker’s Match :-)

For a chance to win a copy of The Matchmaker’s Match, comment below and let Jessica know, when it comes to treats, what's your favorite?

Blurb of The Matchmaker’s Match

He has three months to find a wife—or lose his estate. Spencer, Lord Ashwhite, doubts he'll find a suitable bride among the ton, until the unconventional Lady Amelia Baxley agrees to provide a list of candidates. It should be an ideal arrangement, were Spencer not growing attached to the one woman Amelia refuses to consider as a prospect: herself.

Independence means everything to Amelia, who has been burned in love before. The charming marquis is quickly putting her entire life in turmoil, and controlling her stubborn heart has never been such a challenge. But does the ever-practical Amelia dare to go from bride-finder to wife?

Buy Links:

HARLEQUIN 
AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE
KOBO
CHRISTIANBOOK.COM

About Jessica:

Jessica Nelson believes romance happens every day, and thinks the greatest, most intense romance comes from a God who woos people to himself with passionate tenderness. When Jessica is not chasing her three beautiful, wild little boys around the living room, she can be found staring into space as she plots her next story. Or she might be daydreaming about a raspberry mocha from Starbucks. Or thinking about what kind of chocolate she should have for dinner that night. She could be thinking of any number of things, really. One thing is for certain, she is blessed with a wonderful family and a lovely life.

Website: http://www.jessicanelson.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessicaNelson

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Nelson/e/B005ZEU7I6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Alexis: Don't forget for a chance to win The Matchmaker's Match to let Jessica know what your favorite treat is :-) 

ALL DRESSED UP…WELL, ALMOST

Hi there!  Good to see y’all again!  Hope everyone has been absolutely fabulous since we last met here.  I have been.  LOL

Well, this week I’m going to keep my blog short.  Yeah, I know…you didn’t think I had it in me, did ya?  Well, let’s hope I do…for a change.  But I did want to tell you a very quick story that I think you will all get a kick out of.  Those of you who know me will not be surprised at all.  Those of you who don’t know me will wonder how the hell I get through life without a keeper.  (smile)

This week has been very hectic, with lots going on.  The Butterscotch Martini Girls are working hard to prepare for our big Blog Heist this Sunday.  So there have been lots of preparations, lots of emails and texts, and some brainstorming and new things we are trying.  Amidst all that, I’m trying to do edits and get my story ready for publication.  So it has been crazy nuts…but freaky fun!

Now, with that said, I’ll tell you about what happened to me this morning.  I’d been running around like the proverbial chicken without its head, emailing, texting, brainstorming, and planning.  Now it was time for me to hit half a dozen stores to pick up some food and supplies we will need for our Blog Heist on Sunday.

So I threw on some shorts, a baseball cap (because it was a really bad hair day), a pair of flip flops, and earrings.  I brushed my teeth, grabbed my purse and my phone, and headed out the front door.  The moment I stepped out the door, I looked down and realized I’d forgotten my shirt.  Yep, there I was on the front porch in shorts, flip flops, earrings, and my bra.  DUH!  Where the hell is that keeper, anyway?!  LMAO

Okay, so now that you’ve heard the story of me scandalizing the neighborhood, you’re gonna wanna hear about our Blog Heist this Sunday, which is the event that has me so absent minded—and shirtless.

The Butterscotch Martini Girls are taking over Cheyenne McCray’s Blog for a day of giveaways and fun!

Prizes include $100 in Amazon gift certificates, over 40 eBooks and autographed print books, signed T-shirts and baseball caps, signed martini glasses, and other fun things.  We will be chatting, playing games, rolling out some fun new videos, and generally being wild and crazy girls.

So go to the link below and click “Join” to indicate you will be joining us on Sunday, September 13, for a fun day.  We will begin at 8:00 a.m. MST (5:00 a.m. EST).  So share the link with your friends and be sure to let them know there will be lots of free stuff and free butterscotch martinis.

Just kidding about the butterscotch martinis.  (sorry) 

But there is lots of free stuff.  LOL

Join at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/961962097199809/

The BMG's include:

• Cheyenne McCray: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Cowboys, Paranormal Romance
• Jaymie Holland: Erotic Romance, BDSM, Menage
• Tina Gerow: Paranormal Romance and Paranormal Romantic Suspense
• Cassie Ryan: Erotic Romance, BDSM
• Lisa Pietsch: Espionage and Romantic Suspense
• Tia Dani: Time Travel, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Futuristic
• KT Roberts: Romantic Suspense, Mystery
• HD Thomson: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance and Paranormal Romance
• Kayce Lassiter: Chicklit in cowgirl boots

Thanks for dialing in today.  I’ll see you on Sunday and again two weeks from today...same bat time, same bat channel.

That’s my story, silly and shirtless, and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,

Kayce

Welcome Autumn

         Ah, September!

         We are heading into my favorite time of year. Autumn! The temperature becomes much more pleasant after the scorching Phoenix summer (I seem to wilt a little more each summer….those triple digit temperatures are tough and getting tougher, though my sensitivity to the heat could just be those wonderful hot flashes!). At this point, who can tell the difference? But I digress….

         As I mentioned, I live here in Phoenix where we don’t really have a change of season—here, we have hot, hotter and Oh My Gosh, are we living in a blast furnace?—but it doesn’t stop me from remembering (and longing for) those shorter, cooler, fabulous Fall days. Raking leaves then jumping in the pile, that wonderful tang in the air that still (even though I’m so much older) reminds of the first day of school. Bonfires at my high school to cheer on the team for the football game the following day against a rival school. Hay rides and the Fall carnival. Walking along tree lined country roads, collecting beautiful scarlet and gold leaves to press in my memory book. 

         The best thing about cooler temperatures is cuddling up in a comfy chair, afghan thrown over your legs, drinking a cup of hot chocolate or tea or coffee and reading. Doesn’t have to be a new book…..it could very well be an old, treasured favorite.

         Yes, I love this time of year and it all begins with the Labor Day holiday. I actually took a few more days off from my day job, turning my three day weekend into a five day mini vacation. So what have I done with my time off? Well, I made a big batch of spaghetti sauce (complete with meatballs and sausage), bought myself a new pair of sneakers (had to…my old ones were over ten years old…oh my gosh! These feel like I’m walking on a cloud….my feet have never been so happy!). I cleaned and I wrote (I’m working on Book 2 of the MacDermott Brothers series) and I read (yes, curled up in my DH’s chair…no afghan over my legs…it’s not cold enough for that yet).

         So what’s your favorite time of year? And what book do you curl up on the couch with when the weather gets cooler?

As always, happy reading!

Marie

HANNAH AND THE HIGHLANDER by Sabrina York

Hannah and the Highlander 

by Sabrina York

 

First in a brand-new series about the bold, brawny men of the Scottish Highlands--and the lovely lasses who bring them to their knees…

Released September 1st 

Highlanders are her weakness.

Hannah Dounreay has no time for suitors who only seem interested in her family's land, which she manages as well as any man. If she marries, she wants to be loved for the educated, independent woman she is. But when a strong, silent--and spectacularly handsome--Highlander saves her from a violent attack, her heart is stirred. Who is this man? And if he asks for Hannah's hand, will she be able to resist him?

Love is the most powerful weapon of all.

Alexander Lochlannach, Laird of Dunnet, has no time to lose. The Highlands are in an uproar as clans battle for land--without mercy--and Alexander can't afford to fall for the wildly attractive, strong-willed Hannah. What's more, he has a desperate secret, one that could destroy them both. But as their attraction turns into an all-consuming passion, Alexander has no choice but to prove to Hannah that he's the only man for her--body and soul… 

Read an excerpt:

Egads. She wants to speak with him before the wedding… 
       The door opened immediately, as though she’d been standing there waiting. At the sight of her, his heart stalled and his throat tightened. She had this effect on him each and every time he saw her. God, she was so beautiful. 

Her eyes widened, as though she was surprised to see him, which befuddled him, because she’d asked him to come. Then her gaze raked him. He liked to think that look in her eye was a glimmer of appreciation. “Dunnet,” she said. “You’re . . . dressed.”

Aye. Dressed for a wedding. He couldn’t help but notice she was not.

“Lady . . . Hannah.” He bowed. “You wanted to . . . talk?”

She nodded briskly and opened the door wider, stepping back to allow him to enter. He did so and closed the door behind him. The click was deafening. It was not lost on him that he was in her bedchambers. His gaze flicked to the bed. It was slightly rumpled. That made him feel slightly rumpled as well.

This was not the time for his passion to rise.

It did.

“Thank you for coming,” she said, turning away to pace. “I know you are prepared to marry . . . forthwith.” He had no idea why she emphasized the word as she did. “But before we exchange our vows, I have some things that I need to say.”

He nodded, even as relief gushed through him.

She hadn’t changed her mind.

And if she had things to say, he should probably stay silent. And listen.

“You and I need to have an understanding.”

“An . . . understanding?”

“Aye.” His hope was supplanted by a hint of disappointment when she said in a very businesslike tone, “We both know this is a marriage of convenience.”

His gaze snapped to her face. Ernest though her expression was, it lacked the dreamy, romantic tinge a groom might hope for. In fact, she set her chin and shot him a very unromantic glance.

A marriage of convenience? A cold, heartless, distant union? Denial howled. Suddenly, to his surprise, he found he wanted something very different. He longed to respond, to cry out his dissent, but his throat locked.

“There is no reason to pretend this is something other than it is. I agreed to marry you because Dounreay needs your protection and you agreed to marry me for my lands. We are marrying for no other reason. Aye. I understand that. We understand that.”

Nae. We understood nothing of the sort. There was another reason he was determined to marry her, did she but realize.

He wanted her.

“Regardless, Dunnet, my wish is for a peaceful union.”

Peaceful. Aye. Peaceful was good.

“I should like for us to work together as a team. In partnership.”

Aye. He had a partnership in mind. . . .

“If I’m going to pledge myself to a man forever, I need to know that he will respect me. That he will honor my wishes. I need to know he will take my counsel into account.” She fixed Alexander with a steady gaze, as though she expected a response. So he nodded.

She was so beautiful, so earnest. So tantalizing.

He stepped closer, intent on his target.

Her eyes widened as he neared. Her hand on his chest stalled his approach and her brow wrinkled. Her gaze flicked to his mouth and her tongue peeped out, wetting her lips, igniting a flame in his belly. With great effort, she ripped her gaze away and frowned. “Do you agree to my terms?” she asked.

He cupped her cheek and angled her head up. Her breath caught. Her features froze as she realized his intent. “Aye,” he said. “Aye.” And then he did what he’d been thinking about for weeks. What he’d been obsessing over all day. He kissed her.

And it was glorious.

A shiver rippled over Hannah’s skin as Dunnet took her mouth. His taste, his scent, infused her. It was a light kiss, a testing foray, but it sent an unholy thrill through her and left her wanting one thing. More.

She had wanted this chance to speak with him privately, to receive his assurances that their marriage would be a partnership, to set her mind at rest, and he’d done that. But if she was being truthful . . . something like this had been on her mind as well, skulking there behind her noble intentions, a roiling hunger. A curiosity. A need.

She’d kissed him before and he had turned away. She desperately needed to know if, in his heart, he had any passion for her whatsoever.

He lifted his head—way too soon—and stared down at her. “Hannah . . . ” he murmured.

Even as she attempted to rein in her disappointment at his withdrawal, his hold on her cheek tightened, his eyes narrowed, and he issued a noise, something gruff and deep, something that sent a lick of exhilaration through her.

He yanked her closer. The feel of his body against hers, rigid and unyielding, made her head spin. His fingers threaded through her hair and he held her steady as his head descended again. She sucked in a breath, quivering with anticipation.

And ah. Ah.

This kiss was different.

This wasn’t tentative in the slightest. It was a taking. A mad, starved consummation of her mouth with his, a melding of lips and tongue and need.

This was as wild as the windy squalls off the coast. As tantalizing as the fairy wisps at dusk. As scorching as the forge where razor-sharp steel was tempered and formed.

And it cut through her like a screaming wind, an enticing magic, a warm blade.

Scuttles of heat rose in her womb. Rivulets of excitement danced in her veins. His taste filled her senses, her mouth, her soul.

When he lifted his head, a glimmer danced in his eye. It was the look of a conquering hero, a savage Scotsman, a man whose hunger had been sated but ignited at the same time.

Oh heavens.

Exultation whipped through her. Her knees were weak and her body melted.

Damn her reservations.

Damn her fears.

Damn her doubts about whether or not he really wanted her.

She wanted him. And she would have him.

It was gratifying to see that he was not unaffected. His breath came heavy and hard and there was a slight tremble in his voice when he spoke. It was one word and one word only, forced out and wreathed in a growl, but it was enough.

“Mine.”

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT HANNAH AND THE HIGHLANDER

Bold and steamy—Publisher’s Weekly

5 stars: A stunning tale from beginning to end—Love, Life and Booklust

Top Pick: Hannah and the Highlander is a wonderful love story that I can honestly and happily recommend to all—Night Owl Reviews

4 Stars: York turns her talent for sizzle to men in kilts—and the women who love them—in her newest sexy romp—RT Magazine 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Highlander-Untamed-Highlanders-Sabrina-ebook/dp/B00TDRJ8JU/

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hannah-and-the-highlander-sabrina-york/1120871303?ean=9781466878549

Google Play Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sabrina_York_Hannah_and_the_Highlander?id=62iWBgAAQBAJ&hl=en

Ibooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hannah-and-the-highlander/id965783551?mt=11

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/hannah-and-the-highlander

Untamed Highlanders Series

Hannah and the Highlander— September 1st

Susana and the Scot—Coming December 29^th

Lana and the Laird—Coming in 2016

Want More Highlanders by Sabrina York?

Laird of her Heart--Highland Time Travel

Tarnished Honor--Waterloo Heroes Romance

About Sabrina York

Her Royal Hotness, Sabrina York, is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of hot, humorous stories for smart and sexy readers. Her titles range from sweet & sexy to scorching romance.  Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her books, excerpts and contests. Get updates and alerts from Sabrina here: HotSheet Sign Up.

HOT WESTERN NIGHTS Boxed set for 99 cent is here!

HOT WESTERN NIGHTS has released! Only 99 cents for 5 first-in-series books! 

Buy Link:

Amazon

Featuring COWBOYS NEVER FOLD the first in the Poker Flat Series.

Daughter of the Red Deer by Joan Wolf

Pre-history has an elusive and raw quality, which I was lucky enough to encounter another well written and engaging novel set in the ice age along the Pyrenees in France. 

The tribe of the Horse loses many of their women to tainted water and must resort to stealing the women from the tribe of the Red Deer.  The leader of the tribe of the Horse, Mar, a tall, powerful, and evocative man, watches the women of the Red Deer to learn their habits and the best time to kidnap them.

The women of the tribe of the Red Deer seclude themselves for a journey to get ready for mating season.  Alin will have her first man that she’s chosen to create children.  The women of Red Deer are powerful leaders and choosers of destiny and men.

The tribe of the Horse is successful in the capture of the Red Deer women.  The conflicts between the men and women contribute to a rich story on compromise, deceit, and the unforeseen love building between Mar and Alin.

You also have to remember that nothing happens quickly in this prehistoric world.  Communications, travel, the supply of clothes and food, and the retaliation from the women’s original tribe must be planned for and waited for. 

A great tribute about this story is that when you believe the rest is obvious, a knot forms in the string of events.  It’s an exciting and epic tale of how the tribe of the Red Deer will fight for their members, yet the tribe of the Horse has the opportunity to overcome the battle with more than just a return fight, but rather patience and love. 

It’s a tear jerker and the hardship of the pre-historic lives makes you wonder how they endured and survived.

Happy reading,

Dawn