LOVE UNDER FIRE Cover Reveal #1! #RomanticSuspense ~ Reign of Fire #LoveUnderFire

Proceeds benefit Pets for Vets!

A few weeks ago, I revealed the cover for Love Under Fire, a limited edition box set releasing in November, which will contain my latest romance + ghost mystery, The Haunting of Hillwood Farm.  I'm thrilled to be a part of this project, which involves 21 USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Bestselling Authors each contributing a brand new story filled with passion, thrills, and danger to benefit Pets For Vets, a charity that pairs rescue pets with veterans in need of companion animals.  To find more info on Love Under Fire and how you can get your limited edition copy of 21 books for just 99 cents (!!!!), click here or find the links below after the cover reveal.  Because right here on my blog, as we build up toward release day, visitors get to see each individual cover and read the accompanying blurb...so keep checking back, because we have 20 more to reveal, including mine! Up first is Reign of Fire, by my fellow Moonlight and Mystery contributor and The Wild Rose Press author and friend Casi McLean!

When Emily senses her twin sister's murder, she rushes to Washington, D.C., to confirm her worst nightmare.  To help solve the crime, she agrees to a scheme that spirals her into a treasonous faction with plans to take over the White House.

Detective Ashton Frasier accepts his career choice means a lifetime of bachelorhood, until Emily Rose sweeps into his life.  The spitting image of his latest victim holds a mysterious lure he can't deny.  Placing her as bait in her sister's murder investigation puts her life, as well as his heart, in peril.

Surrounded by danger with the country's democracy at stake, Emily never expects to fall in love, but her sister's spirit has an agenda of her own.  Can they defeat the faction bonded by greed before they're discovered?  Or will a ghostly encounter lead to a deadly passion?

What do you think?  I love it, especially the title font and the fire in the letters!  Plus, being from the D.C. area originally, I love the scenery.

If you are familiar with my books, you'll know ghost stories are right up my alley (as you can probably also tell from the title of my contribution to the set!)  Some of the stories in the box set contain other paranormal elements, and some a different kind of danger or enemy...but all contain page-turning, spine-tingling romance and suspense!

Sound good?  Pre-order the whole set for 99 cents today!  Links for Apple, Nook, and Kobo are below, Amazon now available too!

Love Under Fire on Amazon/Kindle

Love Under Fire on iTunes/iBooks

Love Under Fire on Nook/Barnes & Noble

Love Under Fire on Kobo

Love Under Fire additional links

Available to Pre-Order on Kindle beginning August 13^th!

LOVE UNDER FIRE ~ 21 stories to heat up your winter!

My Favorite Heroine ~ #amreading #TheBronzeHorseman #HistoricalRomance #Books

I just kicked off a new blog series over at Moonlight and Mystery, and I thought I'd share it here as well.  Moonlight and Mystery is a new site for romance, suspense, and mystery, and 11 authors contribute to the content.  I'm one of the authors in charge of the blog topics and schedule, and I often start the series with the first post.  We've done a series on book settings and another on the book from our childhood that impacted our writing; this new series is on each author’s favorite hero or heroine, and this is the first time we’ve had to pick favorites!  I’m not going to lie, as an avid reader, it’s tough.  I did a post on my own blog years ago on my favorite fictional couples (note: I had not read the book I'm going to talk about at the time of that old post from Feb. of 2013, otherwise this couple would have made it...but I read it later that same year, and it's featured on my Favorite Books of 2013 post which came out in Dec.) and I forced myself to narrow it down to five.  But one hero OR heroine?  Nearly impossible.

But, since I have to, I’m going with the heroine of a book that made a huge impression on me, a historical romance novel that might not be on romance readers’ radar, since it’s not as well-known as Outlander or Whitney, My Love.  The novel is called The Bronze Horseman, and it only crossed into my To-Be-Read list because Goodreads has a feature that shows novels you might like based on your ratings of novels you’ve read.  The Bronze Horseman popped up as a popular choice for fans of Outlander, Pillars of the Earth, Gone with the Wind, and The Tea Rose…all books I loved. 

I’ll admit, I had my doubts when I started the book—WWII-era Leningrad does not have the same romantic flair as, say, the Scottish Highlands of the 18^th century, but I am so, so glad I pushed through the opening scene as we meet the family and the Stalin regime announces the Soviet Union is at war.  I was literally captivated by this book.  Entranced.  Every romance author knows that conflict is key, and for a series like this one, multiple, believable conflicts are necessary.  Author Paullina Simons delivers this brilliantly, if painfully (for readers who want these characters to have their HEA).  My heart ached for what the two main characters (and many of the additional characters) had to go through—and the horrors of war are brought to life by the author’s attention to detail and meticulous research.  And yet through it all, a beautiful and poignant love between Tatiana and Alexander grows and endures.

Okay, so that’s a lot about why I loved the book.  What is it about the characters that made them favorites?  I did love the hero Alexander, don’t get me wrong.  Some readers were uncomfortable with some of his behavior early on in the book, when he’s trapped in a love triangle of sorts.  While it wasn’t the most admiral spot for him to be in, I tried to view it through a more favorable lens.  Tatiana was too young for him at the time, even though he loved her.  He also was trying to do as Tatiana directed, because she wanted Alexander’s current girlfriend to be happy.  Finally, he used the relationship to have frequent contact with Tatiana’s family as the war progressed and supplies grew tight, and it allowed him to bring them all food.

This initial conflict, with Tatiana worrying more about someone else’s happiness than her own, shows right off the bat how selfless she is.  As the borders are closed in an attempt to starve all the inhabitants of Leningrad, Tatiana, the youngest in the family, becomes the strong one, braving brutal cold and dangerous streets daily to find food for her family.  She cares for each of them even while she worries about Alexander fighting at the front.  She bears the load as each person gives up or dies from the cold and lack of nourishment, or the constant bombings.

When it becomes clear her brother may have been in a battle, she goes looking for him.  When the hospital fill with wounded and dying, she’s there, volunteering as a nurse.  And lest it sound like she’s too nice, too sweet, we eventually see what she’ll do to save Alexander from behind enemy lines.  Nothing stops her, and the determination and cunning she shows to rescue her love make for an edge-of-your-seat plotline.  Beyond that, I don’t want to say too much, because, spoilers!  And if I’m making it seem like too depressing a read, remember that is *is* a romance, which means a Happily Ever After (eventually)…and there are some wonderful times of joy in simply being alive (and steamy encounters) when Alexander is given leave.

I’d add that the first two books, The Bronze Horseman and Tatiana and Alexander, are worth the read if you like epic Historical Romance.  The last in the series was extremely disappointing to many fans and didn’t seem to fit, as if it had to be tacked on as the third book in the series per a contract.  Although there is an exciting scene at the end, if you’re determined to see the series through!

Have you read these books?  What were your takes on the characters?  Please share your favorite heroes and heroines!

The #Book That Made Me Love #Paranormal #Romance ~ #amwriting #ghosts

This is a re-post of my contribution to the latest blog series over at Moonlight & Mystery, a site for all types of mystery, romance, and paranormal reads.  The theme revolves around looking back at a book from our youth that inspired us in some way—a novel that maybe made us fall in love with reading, drew us to a new genre, sparked our imagination, or inspired us to write our own stories someday.

I love ghost stories, which is probably pretty clear from my novels…and while I do try to elicit a few shivers up my readers’ spines, the hauntings in my novels are more mysteries than horror.  My plots revolve around a ghost who has some unfinished business that the characters need to unravel before the spirit can rest in peace.  After all, even ghosts need goals and motivation to make the story work!

Of course, romance is a big part of my novels as well, because I love love stories as well!  Who doesn’t want to see a meant-to-be couple finally get their Happily Ever After, once they’ve managed to overcome all the obstacles in their way?  Readers get to experience all those emotions associated with falling in love while rooting for the characters to find their way to each other.

So, yeah, I have a thing for ghost mysteries mixed with romance.  What started this? 

Well, when I was in second grade, my father brought home the usual weekly stack of chapter books the local librarian had recommended for me.  Generally, the books revolved around horses, my main interest as an 8-year-old girl.  But sometimes other subject matter found its way into the pile, and this time, there was a book entitled Jane-Emily, by Patricia Clapp.  The tag line read “A ghost story…and a love story”.  My first paranormal romance, this YA book is both a sweet romance and a spooky ghost story.  I was hooked.  I read that book over and over again throughout my childhood.  I made my best friend read it.  To this day, we're both still scared of those silvery reflecting balls that sit on pedestals in yards.

Ten years ago, I purchased my own copy (finally!) from ebay and read it to my kids.  The ghost of 12-year-old Emily still delivers chills even after all these years as she unleashes her wrath on 9-year-old Jane--but of course the romance piece was there as well between the hunky Doctor and Jane's young aunt Louisa.

My best friend and I *still* call
these Jane-Emily balls

This childhood favorite has made a lifetime mark, impacting what I write as an author--although the romantic element in my novels is decidedly steamier, as my books are meant for more mature readers.  But I still go back to revisit Jane-Emily from time to time--my copy from eBay sits on the bookshelf.  And I may never have discovered this book without my Dad's dedicated trips to the library to keep me reading for pleasure.

Check out some of the other posts over at Moonlight and Mystery!  And if you missed our last series, each author discussed fun details about the setting of one of her books; start here with my post on Cape Cod!) 

A FB Party ~ #Giveaways #Giftcards #Books + Prizes! #Author Takeover

I'm excited to be doing a takeover of Kylie's Fiction Addiction Facebook page this Friday night!  What's a takeover?  Basically, I get to host a fun virtual party for both my fans and fans of the page for an hour, with giveaways, prizes, fun questions, and opportunities to make new friends and find new reads.  And it's a chance to celebrate the release of my steamy romance/ghost story Gull Harbor as an audio book.  Gull Harbor has been a #1 Bestseller on Kindle and Nook formats, so I'm thrilled it's now available in audio! 

A party to celebrate the release of Gull Harbor on audio!

If you've never been to a Facebook party, give it a try!  My takeover begins March 9th at 9 pm EST, and the best parts of a virtual party are (1) you can wear your pajamas and (2) if you're not online during the party hour from 9:00 - 10:00, you can still chime in for chances to win on your own time.  Here's the Event Invite for more info: Event Info on Facebook.

What's up for grabs?

Amazon gift cards, copies of Kindle or Nook formats of my novels, audio copies of Gull Harbor, and an ebook of your choice from any of the authors of Moonlight & Mystery! And, some bling...these beautiful drop earrings from Silpada!

One prizewinner will get to chose any ebook from the dozens offered by
9 Award-winning, Bestselling Authors!

Plus, meeting new authors and readers and fun games ~ so come by, and invite some friends along too!  It's a free event, all you have to do is join Kylie's Fiction Addiction Facebook page to attend.

Hope to see you there!

New Community for #Book Lovers! #Mystery #Romance Reads + #Giveaways ~ Join the Fun! #amreading #ABA Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I’m ringing in 2018 with some exciting news for readers:  I’m one of 12 best-selling, award-winning authors involved in a fabulous new one-stop website to satisfy your every literary desire, and we want you to be a part of it, too!

Readers' Choice for the best Mystery, Suspense,
Romance, Paranormal, & Urban Fantasy

I’m thrilled to introduce Moonlight and Mystery, the premier online magazine site providing the best romantic suspense, mystery, and page-turning reads, some with a sprinkle of supernatural, time slips, urban fantasy, or magic.

What does the site offer?

• Fabulous reads
• Amazing prizes
• FUN games and contests
• Behind the scenes secrets
• FREE ongoing mystery reads
• Compelling articles

Be part of an inner circle where YOU contribute to the authors’ creative process. AND, share your own favorite books and authors.

There is NO cost, no commitment. Just fun and community! 

Like our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/MoonlightAndMystery

Visit our website: http://www.moonlightandmystery.com

And for even more of an insiders’ view, join our Street Team:
http://www.moonlightandmystery.com/street-team

We look forward to seeing you and saying hello! 

Make reading more one of your New Year's Resolutions!

Kathryn Knight

Casi McLean

Alicia Dean

Tamara Ferguson

Suzanne Jenkins 

Beth Trissel

Kim Hornsby

Brenda Whiteside

Renee Johnson

Emma Kaye

Maureen Bonatch

Sharon Buchbinder

Put your feet up, relax, & get lost in a new read!