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A Chilled Drink, Ice Cream, and a COOL Summer Read

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A Great Beach Read! THE PRINCE AND THE ROGUE by Skyler Grey

The Prince and the Rogue
by Skyler Grey
Available August 6th
From Red Rose Publishing
* * * * *
Due to the sudden death of Lady Christine and the deep depression of her father soon after, Catherine Townsend is carted off to live with her mother's family and learns quickly that her arrival is not one of welcome. After years of being the brunt of cruel jokes, Catherine's aunt demands she attend a soiree. During the course of the evening's events, Catherine finds herself stumbling upon a private romp and flees in a hasty retreat for fear of being discovered.

Eric Rycroft, is a prince, and London's most eligible bachelor. Only recently returned after being abroad for the past eight years, the last thing he wants to do is attend a boring party with mothers shoving their daughters in his face. As Eric contemplates an early escape, he bumps into Albert Ashbury, who in turn begs for help to search out a noisy busy-body that interrupted his private tryst, which if revealed, could mean the ruin of his marriage.

Eric decides that a game of cat and mouse might actually be a fun way to past the time but it's not until Eric spots his prey across the ballroom floor, that he finds himself intrigued by the golden minx and a rogue's plans are set into motion.
* * * * *
Dizziness filled her as she fought to free herself. His smell was intoxicating, weakening her knees. He easily towered over her, his height at least six two, compared to her five-foot six. Her voice was quiet as she pleaded with him. "Please. Sir, you must release me. You are compromising my reputation and as it stands, it certainly needs no more help."

To her relief, he released her and bowed. "Forgive me, My Lady, but to find a rose such as you in a place filled with so many weeds…" He looked around, then up toward the doors leading to the Montgomery's soiree, raising a dark brow in tease.

Catherine felt a strong desire to smile back but knew she mustn't. This man, whoever he was, unnerved her, making it hard to think, to breathe, making him dangerous and she wanted only to get away from him. She heeded to the alarms that were going off in her head and turned to run toward the safety of her carriage.

But before she could get away, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him. "Why are you afraid? I thought you to be an adventurous little minx. Was I mistaken?"

Catherine looked at him in confusion. "What? You do not know me, Sir, so how could you guess me to be adventurous? You most assuredly have me confused with another."

A wicked smile teased the corners of his mouth as he lifted both brows in disbelief. "Perhaps the fact that you have a taste for snooping around in dark rooms might cause me to think such a thing."

Her eyes flared wide and she gasped, trying desperately to pull away. Her face heated to near crimson as she realized his meaning. Could it have been him she had stumbled across?

Stuttering, she struggled for words. "I…um…I'm sure I have no idea what you mean. Now if you'll excuse me."

He tightened his grip slightly. "No?" Bending, he reached down and lifted her skirt with one hand while he firmly wrapped his fingers around her ankle, forcing her to bend her knee. The touch of his warm fingers on her bare flesh caused her body to tremble. Staring at her injured foot, he glanced up at her, his face smug.

Catherine's eyes widened again as she saw the white strip of cloth, now red, hanging from her shoe. She attempted to pull away once more but he held her fast, his hands brushing the sensitive skin of her leg before gently releasing her.

Standing, he winked, knowing he'd clearly made his point. In a teasing tone, he asked, "What kind of a gentleman would I be if I did not see to your injury and return you home safe and sound?" Turning his head, he snapped his fingers and ordered for his carriage to be brought around.

A Great Beach Read! PARIS EXPOSE' by Cerise DeLand

PARIS EXPOSE'
by Cerise DeLand
Available from The Wild Rose Press
Scarlet Rose/The Wilder Roses
* * * * *
After Deanne Delacroix moves to Paris to re-think her failed career, she opens her drapes one morning to discover a delicious Frenchman in the window across the street—naked. Enthralled by his handsomeness and risqué behavior, Deanne goes above and beyond her comfort zone by offering her own wickedly naked expose. It's not long before Deanne is pursued by the handsome Architect Andre Ferrar and discovers the joy of Parisian delights. However, a Paris Exposé can only last so long...
* * * * *

Dee spotted Andre immediately as she entered the cafe. The mere sight of him had her body rippling and swelling with need. He sat at a table for two in the back, alone. Clothed, he was imperial in a severely cut, charcoal grey wool suit with crisp white shirt. She shivered in anticipation of being so close to him, and cinched the sash of her trench coat. She nodded to the maitre d’ that she was joining the gentleman at the rear and made her way through the tables with the giddy glee of a co-ed about to conquer the football captain.

Andre smiled at her with molten interest—and she responded with a broad grin. She wasn’t going to play the demure female. After all, she’d worn nothing beneath her coat. She grinned at him.

Andre rose from his seat on the banquette, extended his arms to enfold her and kissed both cheeks. “Mademoiselle Delacroix,” he welcomed her in a bass voice that sent sparks of joy down her spine. “I am delighted to see you.” His gaze swept from her eyes to her lips and throat, then drifted down, lingering for a dark special moment on the bodice of her trench coat. “I cannot wait to see more of you. Closer to me than my window.”

She couldn’t help it, she laughed because soon he would see more. Much more. “I feel the same, Monsieur Ferrar.”

A Great Beach Read! SHOW OFF by Emma Jay

Show Off
by Emma Jay
Published by The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/wilderroses/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=689&zenid=7487f9324430a506481ea8363571197d

Veronica Butler avoids risks as a rule, but when faced with celebrating her thirty-fifth birthday alone, she dons her sexiest dress and heads to a single's club. She’s startled when the attention she draws is that of her supervisor, Vicente Salazar. They’ve worked on the same team at an architectural firm, designing a hotel with Gaudi-influenced elements. Veronica has indulged in several fantasies starring the sexy Spaniard. Now she’s fueling his.

Though she knows it's a mistake, that this decision may affect the office atmosphere, she gives into her desire and allows him to show her exquisite pleasure in public places. From the back of a limousine to his office to an alcove in a museum, each sexual encounter is exciting, challenging, terrifying. Each encounter shows her more of who she is. Each encounter risks her heart. Now if only she can convince him to risk his.

A knock on the door several minutes later drew Vicente’s attention from the computer screen, and he looked up to see Veronica slip through the door, almost like she was sneaking in. He removed his wire-framed reading glasses to watch her as, with the flick of one hand, she closed the blinds of his office.

He leaned back and watched her approach, a grin stretching his lips. He’d been wrong about her clothes. She’d discarded the blazer and wore the same silky blouse from last night, still without a bra. The sway of her magnificent breasts beneath the fabric mesmerized him, but not enough for him to miss that the ankle length skirt revealed a long stretch of leg with each step. It was no more than a piece of fabric wrapped around her slim hips and hooked only at the waist. The easy accessibility sent blood rushing to his groin. When she reached up and released the clip from her hair, sending the piece of plastic sliding across the desk beside his glasses, his body came to full attention as her hair tumbled around her shoulders.

“You were a very good sport last night,” she said, circling his desk.

He pivoted his chair to face her and she stepped between his knees, bent at the waist, her hair falling forward, her blouse drooping enough to give him a view of her tantalizing cleavage. He thought about asking her if she locked the door, but she placed a hand on his chest and he didn’t want to break the contact, even to insure their privacy.

“I want to give you a small token of my appreciation.”

Would you like a copy? Leave a comment, and you just might win!

A Great Beach Read! TENDER RETURN by Ginger Simpson

Tender Return
by Ginger Simpson
http://www.gingersimpson.com
http://mizging.blogspot.com
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Buy link: http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?cPath=23_45&products_id=520
*****
For reasons unknown to Meagan Murphy, her father won’t allow her to date anyone in uniform. Through her volunteer efforts at the USO, she meets Ryan Cullen and throws caution to the wind. Ryan only has a short time before his unit is shipped overseas, and they have to make the most of the time they have left together. Ryan deploys, but not before he puts a ring on her finger and asks her to wait. Will he return and win her hand from her father... or are all those nightly radio newscasts about casualties warning her to prepare for the worst?

Texas, March 1943

Meagan Murphy tapped her toe beneath the food-laden table despite the fact she‘d been hunched over it for hours, dishing out portions at the weekly USO dance. Preferring to find a partner and have a little fun, she methodically spooned mashed potatoes onto passing plates and eyed the jitterbugs on the floor.

"Can I have some gravy, please?" A deep voice drew her attention.

The eyes she looked into were darker than the sauce he requested, and his perfectly formed lips curved into a dimpled smile. She cleared her throat and picked up the ladle. "Say when."

"How about right after I polish off this chow."

"Excuse me?" She cocked a brow.

"You said, say when. I thought you were inviting me to dance." He winked.

There was something about him—different from the other GIs. She‘d found flirting a common occurrence here and ignored it, but this brazen specimen piqued her interest. Still, she didn‘t dare encourage him. "I meant tell me how much gravy you want on your potatoes." She drizzled juice over his plate.

"When!" He smiled then dabbed at a spot of gravy on the plate‘s edge. "About that dance…" He licked his finger clean.

The fellow behind him cast an impatient stare at her.

"You‘re holding up the line," she said, feeling her cheeks heat. She grew tired of the mingling food aromas.

"Tell me your name, and I‘ll move along."

"Meagan. Now scoot. You‘re going to get us both into trouble." She glanced across the room to where her father sat. She hated when he dropped in. His presence was such a damper on the evening. He forbade her to show anything more than polite attention to men in uniform.
********
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A Great Beach Read! FINN by Angel Martinez

FINN
by Angel Martinez

Available now from
Red Rose Publishing
http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=383

Blurb:

Sanity is relative and the world has room for more than one truth.

When Diego rescues a naked man from the rail of the Brooklyn Bridge, he just wants to get the poor man out of traffic and over to social services. He gets more than he bargained for when Finn turns out to be an ailing pooka, poisoned by the pollution of the city. To help him recover, Diego takes him north to New Brunswick where Finn inadvertently wakes an ancient, evil spirit, the wendigo.

While Diego and Finn struggle to find a way to destroy the wendigo before it can possess Diego or kill nearby innocents, Diego wrestles with his growing passion for Finn. Can they succeed in destroying the monster and in navigating a relationship between a modern man and a centuries-old fairy?

Excerpt:

The figure crouched on the bridge shocked Diego so thoroughly he drove a hundred yards before he realized what he had seen.

A man squatted on his heels on the rail, one hand on a cable, the other clutching a ragged blanket at his throat. Threadbare cloth flapped around bare ankles. The persistent wind yanked it this way and that to show flashes of naked legs.“Holy shit,” Diego muttered, as he wrestled his ancient Toyota into the nearest side street to park. This was none of his business. Didn’t he have enough problems? Even as he argued with himself he ran, dodging traffic and ignoring angry epithets as he pelted back up the bridge against traffic. The inevitable gaper delay had slowed the flow at least, making his precarious journey easier.

People stared from the safety of their vehicles as they inched along, but no one stopped to help.

Diego ignored them. His primary concern was not to startle the man into falling. He slowed his approach, ready to offer soothing words, but the man heard his footsteps. Long black hair whipped and snaked in the wind, hiding his face, though Diego caught a glimpse of bared teeth.
“Did you come after me?” the jumper snarled. “I won’t go back.”

“Go back where?” Diego seized the opportunity to start the man talking.

The jumper shook his head to clear the hair from his eyes and peered at Diego with black eyes – not dark brown, but black, set in deep, shadowed sockets. “No, I suppose you don’t look like one of those,” he said in a softly accented, weary voice.

“One of who?” Diego edged closer to stand next to him.

“The ones who shut me in the iron cage. I changed. I escaped.” His words seemed to stick in his throat and even above the traffic, Diego heard him swallow hard. “But now I’m too tired. I can’t...and the river is so filthy. I think it might kill me.”

At least he doesn’t sound like he wants to die. “Look, if you don’t want the police catching up to you, or the hospital staff, or whoever it is, this is about the worst thing you could do. You’re upsetting all these people and attracting a lot of attention. They’ll be here any minute.” Diego reached out a hand, palm up. “Please come down. Let’s get you safe and out of the wind. Then we’ll see about straightening all this out.”

The man regarded him through the shifting curtain of hair for a long moment. “What are you called?”

Depends who you talk to. “My name is Diego. Diego Sandoval.” He lurched forward, his stomach plummeting to his feet, when the man swayed, but the jumper retained his place on the rail.

The man repeated his name a few times as if trying it out, and then nodded. “It’s a good name. Pleasurable to say.”

“And you?”

“I am called Fionnachd.”

*****
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A Great Beach Read! SANDSWEPT by Sarita Leone

Everyone has a secret. One they hide. Sometimes, one they run from—fast and hard, without stopping to consider the consequences of that mad dash for sanity.

Kelley Garrett? She’s got a secret. A big one. She’s hoping to shake its grip but even someplace as peaceful as Chincoteague Island may not be able to shelter her.

Then again, who knows? Maybe it will. That’s a chance Kelley’s willing to gamble on—with her life.
***

She heard her mother sigh. With a sigh of her own, Kelley waited for the admonishment, the unsolicited advice, the endless, never-changing diatribe sure to come next. She waited, and was surprised when it didn’t come.

“Ah, well. Yes, I suppose a day can get away from you now and again.” The voice was as soft as cotton candy, so sweet and innocent that it may have fooled someone else with its assumed sincerity. But Kelley knew the woman behind the voice too well. She wasn’t lulled into a false sense of security.

“Yes, I suppose.” Kelley’s fingers tightened on the cell phone. She wished she had the guts to cut the conversation off now, to snap the phone shut and shove it back into the pocket of her jeans. Hard and fast, into the farthest corner where even if it rang again she wouldn’t have to answer it. Had it not been her mother on the other end of the line, she may have been able to do it. But it was her mother, the woman who had brought her into this world, and she owed the woman more respect than she wanted to give.

In the end, Kelley’s mother was faster than she was, anyhow. Even if she’d been about to hang up, she would have missed her chance. The voice from the phone was whip fast and to the point.

“Well, just as long as you don’t let many more days slip by, Kelley. Have you given any more thought to what we discussed the other night? And the night before that? And last week?”

Softness turned hard quickly. Silk became steel and the questions shot like rounds from an assault rifle, ricocheting through her mind, causing a clatter that made the storm trivial by comparison. “A job, Kelley Garrett. You need a job. Not later, but now. Have you considered that? Are there any places on that island that could offer you the type of employment you’re qualified for? Because it’s time. You know it and I know it. Even Dr. Stevens knows it. You need to find a job.”

Her hand rose in front of her face, holding back the traffic that was her mother’s tirade. “Dr. Stevens? You spoke to Dr. Stevens about this?”

“Today. Just this afternoon, in fact. This afternoon, when you were letting time drift by as if you have an endless supply of it. Life is short, Kelley. You can’t let it pass you by forever, you know. Time is measured.”

Like a dragon rearing its head, Kelley’s temper roared to life. Her reply came in clipped bursts whose volume lessened with each volley. “Believe me, I know. Time is measured. No reminders, Mother. I don’t need reminders. In case you’ve forgotten. Measured time—stolen time—lost time? I know them all. Intimately. And a job? I’ll get one when—and if—I’m good and ready.”

“Kelley, I don’t want to—”

Her palm smacked the wide glass pane before her. The reinforced material, specially manufactured to withstand hurricane force winds and off-course seagulls, withstood the brunt of her anger.

“And tell Dr. Stevens to go to Hell. I fired him, remember? He’s not my therapist anymore. And one more thing, Mother—”

“But, Kelley, he just wants to help—”

Lightning speared the world outside, and for a heartbeat Kelley saw her reflection in the glass. The woman staring back at her looked as unpredictable, tortured and out of control as the raging storm.

“Remember, I cut Dr. Stevens out of my life. I can cut anyone out. Anyone.”

With a sound that was almost a snarl, Kelley slapped the cell phone closed. She dropped it to the floor and put her forehead against the cool glass. Her sobs came quickly. Her body slid down the windowpane and she slumped on the floor, shaking and gasping for air.

***
SANDSWEPT: A CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND MYSTERY
by Sarita Leone
Genre: Mystery
SubGenre: Romance
EBook formats ISBN: 978-1-60313-458-3
Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-60313-457-6
Buy Here from Whiskey Creek Press

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A Great Beach Read! Shadows of the Past by Margaret Blake

Alva can’t remember anything. Not even the handsome Count Luca Mazareeze, her husband. Something had happened; there was an atmosphere of danger at the Palazzo. Although attracted to the Count, she sensed there were things he was not telling her. Too late she realizes her life is in danger but why?

Alva was in the hallway. Guido had brought in a small suitcase. Of course she would have very little to bring.

Count Luca San Giovanni Mazareeze looked down on her from the top of the stairs. She looked even smaller from this viewpoint and more slender and delicate than he could ever remember her being. Of course she would look delicate, she had been seriously ill after being injured in a near fatal accident. Her silvery blond hair was pulled back from her face and caught in a French pleat. There were tiny bruises beneath her eyes, more yellow than purple now, and several small healing cuts at her forehead and chin. The consultant that he had spoken to on the telephone had said the scarring was superficial and would not be permanent.

She was wearing a dark navy suit; it was not a good fit, the jacket being a little large at the shoulders, and the skirt at her hips. Her shoes were unflattering pumps but in spite of it, she was still that rather ethereal beautiful Alva that he remembered.

He went down the stairs; the luxurious carpet softening his tread, she seemed miles away and obviously did not hear him. She actually started like a frightened deer when he said her name. "Alva."

***
The man was tall and very dark; his skin a warm olive, his hair black and thick and luxurious and the eyes that swept her were the colour of old gold. His features were imperious; the Roman nose, fine sculptured cheekbones and thin, but well shaped lips, all giving him the appearance of the true aristocrat.

She knew his name, had memorized it. Count Luca San Giovanni Mazareze, that he was the il Perdone, that this island of Santa Caterina was his. All these things had been told to her in the hospital. All these things she could believe but what she could not accept, or even take in was that this man, this man who seemed so cold and aloof was actually her husband!

"You had a good journey?" He asked.

"Thank you, yes…" she murmured softly. "I am sorry about this, Conte but I don’t remember anything."

"So I understand," he murmured coolly. His eyes swept her from tip to toe and she felt her cheeks colouring. His appraisal obviously found her wanting for he turned to the Chauffeur who was still waiting by the door.

The Conte addressed him in rapid Italian, asking for Claudia to be sent for so that she could show the Contessa to her room. Alva caught some of it, looking confused at the term Contessa but of course, if she were still his wife, then it made sense that she was still the Contessa. They were not divorced, that much she had gleaned but they had been separated for two years. Odd that there had not been a divorce in all that time, yet she knew she dare not pursue the reasons just yet, if in fact ever, for she could not see herself ever having a conversation with this cold and rather snooty man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want to win a copy of one of Margaret's books? Make a comment to this post, and your comment might win!

Publisher Robert Hale Limited, London.

Where to buy –
http://www.halebooks.com/
http://www.thebookdepository.co.uk/
http://www.amazon.com/

********

http://www.margaretblake.co.uk/
www.myspace/authormargaret

A Great Beach Read! Men of Paradise by Kathleen O'Connor

Men of Paradise

by Kathleen O'Connor
From Wild Rose Press
http://www.amazon.com/Men-Paradise-Kathleen-OConnor/dp/1601543778/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241802295&sr=1-1

Things should be peaceful in Paradise, Florida. Right? But not for Yuma Hawk, the new director of security at the gated community of Royal Breezes. He's fast falling in love with a woman who has enough secrets to sink a submarine and one of those secrets just may cost him his job. Roy, his worst enemy, has just blown into town and fallen -- literally and figuratively-- for Yuma's administrative assistant. That same assistant has just hired a guard with no skills because he slightly resembles George Clooney. Eric, the newbie, is a menace to the community and himself. Could things get any worse? Come to Paradise and find out.

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A Great Beach Read! Intimate Flames by Annette Snyder

Most families have many relationships within the family itself. Intimate Flames, my newest release and very first contemporary romance, centers on just that. A young woman named Bradie Carpenter finds herself alone and pregnant after the sudden death of her boyfriend, Grant Blain, sole heir to his family fortune. This story chronicles changes in Bradie’s self-esteem after Grant’s death, the birth of her child and finally meeting of a wonderful man and family who accept her for who she is. Reading Intimate Flames, you’ll meet many of Andrew ‘Amen’ Packard’s siblings and learn how each person involved in the lives of Amen and Bradie have a positive impact on their lives. With this novel, you’ll discover a hero and heroine who learn to let love and trust into their hearts again. It’s a gratifying romance which begins and ends on Independence Day.

Since Intimate Flames circles my favorite holiday, Fourth of July, and I love the sun, the beach and everything hot, as my thanks to Linda for having me, I’m offering a wonderful summer prize package. Just leave a comment for your chance to win a beach tote, big enough for all your summer supplies, a bottle of sunscreen to protect you from the harmful rays of the sun and an autographed copy of Intimate Flames, the perfect Summer romance read!

You can pick up your copy of Intimate Flames at the publishers site http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/ or visit my website http://annettesnyder.atspace.com/ for more information on my work. Once you’re there, don’t forget to check out my Event’s page. You find the latest information about an online, monthly book club I host called Lost in a Good Book at Writers and Readers of Distinctive Fiction. Thanks for stopping by and I’m wishing you time this summer season to enjoy many picnics and days at the beach or pool with your family.

Post a comment, and you could win a copy of this book!

Annette Snyder-Novelist
http://annettesnyder.atspace.com
Viveka's War--Available Now
Intimate Flames releasing July 2009
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/
http://www.growneb.com
Lost in a Good Book--WRDF Book Club
http://blog.elceepublishing.com/

July is for Summer Sun, Sand, Surf, and Sexy Reads!

It's JULY, and you know what that means! Time for a little sun, a little sand, a little surf, and a Lot of Sexy and Romantic Reads!

So sit back, enjoy a tall glass of lemonade, and I'll be serving up a month's worth of special authors with a slew of new reads you'll just have to check out!