A PERFECT MOMENT by Shari Chulak

A PERFECT MOMENT by Shari Chulak was one of those books that you have to take a step back and almost remove yourself from the situation. What I mean by that this is such a captivating storyline, so all encompassing, that you will find yourself laughing out loud one moment and crying the next, all the while trying to take a deep breath and remember that these are just characters in a book. You feel as though you are right next to Shelby and Steve, feeling what they feel, going through the motions as you are someone involved and invested in their story, their relationship. We all know people like them. Committed to what they believe in and the decisions that they have made. Willing to sacrifice their own happiness, even for a little while for the bigger picture. The big prize at the end. That is if they ever get there. Or worse yet, was it worth all the struggle in the end? This is a life they have both chosen, but knowing that something has died inside themselves along the way. They both attempt to take control once again of their lives and of their families. This is the key to their ultimate happiness, being true to themselves and who they are inside. No longer able to go through the daily motions and battles of what their marriages and lives have become. In Shelby's case, sacrificing her character, her strength and her passions.
There is a bond so great and deep, it is rooted in their core. They are soul mates, to the bone they know they are meant for each other, but commitment to their own marriage and with that dealing with unresolved issues they forge a friendship that seems all but unbreakable.

But there is fate, rooting for a happy ending is all well and good for the pair, even their friends and family are crossing their fingers for their ultimate coupling. Beginning to end their magnetism, their dialog, their trust in one another is dynamic and palpable.

Through tragedy and their inner strength they are able to pull through, not without some tears though. With a powerful supporting cast that is simply fun and charismatic that will only engage the reader and make you wish you could read all about their own stories. And boy and I am sure that they would be as amazing. A rare find in a contemporary romance everything from Shelby and Steve's children to their parents and spouses just meshes, an entertaining and romantic story you won't want to put down. Plenty of sizzle, romance you won't want to miss this page turner that had me both laughing and crying!


Her feelings for him were strictly platonic. Or so she tried to tell herself.


  Shelby Benson is finally back home in Northern California, determined to put her unraveling life back together and provide roots for her daughters. The last thing she needs in a distraction - especially a handsome one.
  The powerful chemistry between them is impossible to deny.
Steve Sanders can't help but be captivated by his new neighbor. Shelby is everything he ever wanted in a woman, and more. And everything his wife isn't. As they grow closer, he is determined to get his life in order, so he can be free to explore the irresistible passion he feels for Shelby.
  Everything changes in one horrible instant.
  When a tragic accident leaves a child's life in the balance, Steve and Shelby are forced to leave the past behind, Can they find the courage to put their fears and past mistakes aside, and believe that some dreams are worth the risk?


Tropical Christmas Giveaway with authors Maureen Child and Kate Carlisle

Harlequin Desire authors Maureen Child and Kate Carlisle both have tropical island-themed romances coming in December! Don't miss THE TEMPORARY MRS. KING by Maureen, and AN INNOCENT IN PARADISE by Kate. Talk about a Double Fantasy! To celebrate their double release, Maureen and Kate are giving away a fabulous Tropical Island beach bag filled with lots of fun, beachy prizes to warm away those Winter blues.

To enter the Tropical Christmas Giveaway, simply fill out the form below (click on link to enter form) : http://bloggerandauthorgiveaways.blogspot.com/2011/11/tropical-christmas-giveaway.html


Buy THE TEMPORARY MRS. KING from Amazon: THE TEMPORARY MRS. KING
Buy THE TEMPORARY MRS. KING from Barnes & Noble: THE TEMPORARY MRS. KING

Buy AN INNOCENT IN PARADISE from Amazon: AN INNOCENT IN PARADISE
Buy AN INNOCENT IN PARADISE from Barnes & Noble: AN INNOCENT IN PARADISE



 

Giveaway of one Wickedly Sexy Historical Romance....Guest Author Natasha Blackthorne tells us all about it! ...........



Grey’s Lady is the story of a wealthy New York merchant price, Grey Sexton, who falls for a poor but beautiful seductress, Beth McConnell. Yet, for all their social and economic differences, at their most basic level, Beth and Grey are very similar. This story explores how these similarities threaten to tear them apart before love can overcome the fear of being vulnerable.

Both Beth and Grey suffered isolation and emotional neglect in childhood. Grey grew up as a privileged only son, heir to Sexton Shipping, one of the fledgling nation’s largest mercantile fleets. Grey’s father was a stern businessman who did not understand his daydreaming son and held him at a distance. A child in this position might take solace in a closer relationship with his mother. However, Grey’s mother was chronically ill and unable to bear his childish energy. She kept to her chambers and died while he was still quite young. Later at age nineteen, Grey engaged in an emotionally scarring experience with a slightly older woman, something that is not covered in Grey’s Lady. All of these back story issues and more are explored in more depth in the sequel, White Lace and Promises, which is scheduled for release Dec. 26, 2011.

In contrast, the focus of
Grey’s Lady is on the immediate interaction between two wounded and self-protective people who feel an overpowering attraction to each other but who do not want to admit it to themselves or the other.

I will let my character, Beth, tell her story in her own words:

Why should men always have the power of choice when it comes to love? Is it right that we women have no choice but to sit and wait for a man decide to honor us with his declarations–usually uttered in the form of a demand? And all we as women may do is say “yes” or “no” and hope we have made a wise choice. The man still has the power to break his promises and it will be our good name and heart that bears the damage.

My mother fell into an adulterous affaire with an unknown man and as a result I was created. Her husband put her out of their house. I would have been borne in the almshouse if not for the kindness of her employer. After my mother’s death, I would have gone to the foundling home without my kindly benefactress. My unknown father also had his power of choice, the choice to abandon me. How fair is it that men have all the power of choice?

Oh, you ask what about the gentlemen? Ha! The gentlemen. They are the very worst.

A gentleman once declared passionate love for me. He said this so ardently, his beautiful brown eyes shone with sincerity. I was young. I was naïve. I believed him. I trusted him and gave my heart wholly into his keeping. And as went my heart, eventually so went my virtue.

Do you what happened next? Surely, I don’t have to tell you. You know how these maudlin stories go. He married someone else. A lady. Someone of his own class. His took his power of choice. He became a respectable family man and I was left being a soiled dove. I had a good cry over it. I may have drank a little too much at his wedding celebration. What a pitiful little fool I was. But I did not wallow in my self-pity for long. So men have needs and desires? Well, I also have needs. I also have desires. Why should men have all the power of choice? Why should they have all the enjoyment in life?

I take my own power of choice now. I chose whom, when and for how long and I select only the most handsome, wealthy, and powerful of gentlemen.

Yes, I know you are asking do I not fear discovery? This is a worry and I take it seriously. Truly I do. I live with my half-brother and his family now. He is very protective and very touchy about matters of honor. Our mother was not faithful to his father. Now he takes such matters so seriously. Too seriously. If he had his way, I would stay home all the time, working in the backroom of his cobbler shop with one eye on the children. But honestly, though I love my nieces and my half-siblings, life there is dreary. It’s all work, work and more work. Everything is shabby, everything seems to stay gritty and grimy no matter how hard I work to keep things clean. There are always more shoes to repair. I swear my eyes shall go crossed trying to sew by candlelight night after night. I never get enough sleep or time to myself. If I couldn’t go out and seek my adventures, I should go mad. I have my mother’s wild blood in me and my desires can run so high I fear they shall consume me.

I could marry a nice man and he would carry me away from all of this. I would have my own cozy home and hearth. My benefactress has introduced me to a nice young minister and to a nice young but struggling legal clerk and a nice young medical student who trembled all over and went pale when I said good morning to him. I have no interest in nice young men. It’s the wealthy, powerful, arrogant gentlemen who fascinate me. I know they will never desire me for a wife but they shall burn for me. They shall remember me.

How do I protect myself from discovery? I limit my liaisons to one single meeting. I never meet with my gentlemen again, no matter how desperately they implore me. And they do implore me. Though I am poor, the child of adultery by an unknown man and powerless in my society, I have something gentlemen desire. I have beauty, and thanks to my mother’s wild blood, I understand their hot lusts better than the women of their class. I do gain a measure of satisfaction out of leaving them burning for more. Burning for me. No gentleman shall ever forget the one afternoon he spent with me.

Today is a special day for me. Mr. Asahel de Grijs, otherwise known as Grey to his friends, is coming to my favorite bookseller to give a lecture on privateering. He is a New York man, the owner of Sexton Shipping which has a fleet of over forty sea going vessels. He is rumored to be the wealthiest gentleman in America. I know this is not true. I know exactly who is the wealthiest man in America. But Mr. Sexton is among the top three wealthiest men in our nation. He is also politically connected and quite powerful. He would be the brightest feather in my cap. I think I shall wear my shabbiest dress because it is always more thrilling when these gentlemen cannot resist the tattered, poor little bastard girl. They are slaves to their own greed for beauty.

I don’t really deride gentlemen for their focus on beauty. I appreciate a handsome face and well-made masculine form. Well, if Mr. Sexton’s physicality matches his other attributes, then I shall be entertaining a gentleman today. In private. In his carriage. But only for today. Afterwards, he shall burn for me. He will never forget me.


What do you think, You could add the question at the end for the readers: Do you think the double standard still exists?


***GIVEAWAY***
Natasha would like to give away one copy of Grey's Lady to one lucky commentor.
To enter please answer her question above, leave your e-mail so we can contact you if you win.
Must be a follower or become one!
Contest ends 11/29



* * * * *





Seeking sexual excitement and conquest, poor but beautiful Beth seduces wealthy merchant prince Grey Sexton, only to find herself the pursued as he seeks to own her body and soul.
In Philadelphia, PA 1812
Flouting the moral standards of Jeffersonian America, temptress Beth McConnell lets no man touch her heart. Her motto is love them once and leave them burning.
But when she boldly seduces Grey Sexton, a self-controlled merchant prince from New York, she finds herself too fascinated by his ice-over-fire nature to stay away. His possessive determination to own her, body and soul, threatens to expose her secret erotic life to public shame.
But Beth will only surrender her love to a man she can trust. And Grey's materialistic approach to relationships leaves her little reason to believe he can ever give her what she truly needs.
For these two cynical yet lonely people, can deep sexual intimacy work a miracle and lead to the opening of their hearts?

Heat Level: EROTIC +18 ONLY










Product link:
The book video:
Review on Night Owl Reviews:
To read the first chapter:
 (For adults only. Erotic Content. M/F. By clicking on this link you affirm you are 18 or older and have reached the age of majority in your country of residence): http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2011/08/greys-lady-by-natasha-blackthorne.html



A Lawman’s Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

A LAWMAN'S CHRISTMAS (McKettrick Series) by Linda Lael Miller is a must read this Christmas season. Yes, I know there are tons of holiday stories out there on the shelves, but for those of you who are already LLM fans this I have to say is one of her best. I feel like I can say that simply because the character development was outstanding, realistic and downright additively charming.

I was already laughing out loud at the audacious personality and pure gumption of Dara's eldest little daughter. She had spirit and that only masked her underlying vulnerability. The dynamics between her alone and Clay takes off in the first couple of pages and only grows throughout the story.
A hard life ahead of her Dara is on her own with her two little girls and about to be kicked out of her home. A marriage on convenience Dara and Clay are attracted instantly, but the slow work up to trust won't let them act on that lust. A lust that soon turns into love. Not just theirs but the love that grows between Clay and the girls is palpable and just sweet. A down home story that just makes you feel warm and cozy inside, just in time to gather your Christmas spirit as it wraps around you like a toasty blanket.

Yes it will be a happy ending, but the struggle to get there is what draws you in. Will Clay kick the beautiful and vulnerable widow out in the snow, if he is anything like some of the leaders of the small town they would have been left out in the cold not long after Dara's husband, the now dead sheriff, was killed in a brothel.

LLM never fails to deliver and you won't be disappointed with her Christmas installment to the McKettrick Series! Passion, heartache, love and a budding friendship fill the pages in this holiday heart warmer!


Love comes home for the holidays in a brand-new McKettrick tale from New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller
The sudden death of the town marshal leaves Blue River, Texas, without a lawman…and twenty-five-year-old Dara Rose Nolan without a husband. As winter approaches and her meager seamstress income dwindles, she has three options. Yet she won’t give up her two young daughters, refuses to join the fallen women of the Bitter Gulch Saloon and can’t fathom condemning herself to another loveless marriage. Unfortunately she must decide—soon—because there’s a new marshal in town, and she’s living under his roof.
With the heart of a cowboy, Clay McKettrick plans to start a ranch and finally settle down. He isn’t interested in uprooting Dara Rose and her children, but he is interested in giving her protection, friendship—and passion. And when they say “I do” to a marriage of convenience, the temporary lawman’s Christmas wish is to make Dara Rose his permanent wife…


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Welcome guest author Lucianne Rivers ............


Today I am trilled to have a great interview with author of the super sexy series, The Caldwell Sisters, Licianne Rivers!!. Please give her a warm welcome and enjoy the interview! I will be posting my review for all books this week!
1. If someone were writing a story about Lucianne Rivers, what would your
blurb say?

She emigrated, had four different career tracks, married, divorced and had
a baby, all before the age of 30.

2. Can you tell us a little about your newest release HOLD ME, THRILL ME,
ENTICE ME
that isn't in the blurb?
The first two stories (HOLD ME & THRILL ME) are based on my own trips
abroad to Guatemala and the Virgin Islands. The hero of HOLD ME is based
on Corey Feldman, 80’s teen actor.

3. What was your inspiration behind the creation of the series?As I mentioned above, trips I have taken and inspiration from real life.

4. What was your favorite scene to write?Loved the boat chase in THRILL ME. I’m not a sailor, but putting Margo in
the driver’s seat when she had no clue what to do was fun.

5. What accent is sure to make you swoon?British accents are pretty sexy. I have an Irish one myself…

6. What attracts you to your characters? Do they speak to you, or refuse
to cooperate? How do you confront that?
My characters are usually heavy on one aspect of my own personality, even
the men. For example, Jane, in HOLD ME, tries to be strong in a difficult
situation, navigating a new country following the death of her mother, in
search of her father. Jane's totally out of her depth, so writing her into
challenging situations brings out her character, which is far more
adventurous than she'd ever imagined. Having made Jane's exact journey to
El Remate a couple of years ago, I had fun describing the bumpy chicken
busses and hole-in-the-ground toilets. Harrison is a man with a dark past,
living out a self-imposed exile in Guatemala, until his encounter with
Jane enables him to forgive himself for former sins and dare to hope for a
better life. Dealing with the consequences of my mistakes has been a
sobering experience for me in my own life. It's easy to want to crawl into
a cave, or retreat from life. Guilt and regret are crippling. Letting go
is difficult. Occasionally, my characters take an unexpected turn as I
write. I usually go with it. Who knows where that comes from? It's
certainly not coming from me. Perhaps they do have a life of their own!

Author bio: Lucianne writes romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and
Cobblestone Press. Born and raised in Ireland, she currently lives in New
Mexico
with her young daughter.

Formerly a stage and television actress, she now manages a non-profit and
is NM State Champion in her weight class for Olympic style weightlifting.
Long story. Recently she has taken up Crossfit, Jiu Jitsu and boxing.


ENTICE ME by Lucianne Rivers
Heartsick over the untimely death of her mother, Allison Caldwell is
blindsided again by the secret revealed in her mom’s will. Her supposedly
dead father is alive, and she and her two sisters must find him in order
to settle the Caldwell estate.

Robert Rivera, private investigator and former Navy SEAL, alerts Allison
to new intel identifying her father as a P.O.W. in Afghanistan. With her
sisters out of the country pursuing leads, Allison insists on heading to
the war-ravaged country to find him. Robert doesn’t want his naïve client
to take the risk. He knows what danger lays in that godforsaken land…he’s
lived through it. Barely.

But Allison is determined to go, and Robert can’t let her travel alone.
Reluctantly appreciative, Allison quickly realizes how much she needs his
guidance and protection, and how deeply she longs for his love. Robert
struggles to understand her effect on his battle-weary heart.

The path to Allison’s father is blocked by terrorists, traps and
treachery—all demons of Robert’s past. Can he survive a second round with
the enemy and keep Allison out of harm’s way?

Title: Entice Me (Caldwell Sisters, #3)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Launch Date: October 2011
ISBN: 978-1-937044-32-9

Buy links: B & N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/entice-me-lucianne-rivers/1105811991
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Entice-Caldwell-Sisters-Book-ebook/dp/B005R3DHW8
Diesel:
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/9781937044329/Rivers-Lucianne-Entice-Me-A-Caldwell-Sisters-Book-3/1.html
My links:
Web: www.luciannerivers.com 






GONE READING.COM!!!!!!


Every once in a while you run across an organization that make you say hum..... hum in a good way. In a way where you question, why hasn't someone thought of this brillant idea ages ago. In a way where you know that the impact and basic down and dirty is to educate, to spread the love of knowledge and hope to those who don't always have the opprtunities that we do. This is the brainchild of new philanthropic organization called Gone Reading International.

What do they do? They market a line of gifts for readers and donate 100% of company profits to fund new libraries in the developing world.  Spreading the joy of reading to one child at a time.


You can read more about us at www.GoneReading.com.
“Like” them on Facebook

About Me


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Brande
I am a working mom with an addiction to coffee, chocolate, and books.. I read an average 3 to 4 books a week to escape reality. I have setup this site to organize my own thoughts and help others when choosing what to read. Since I can be a dimwit at times I decided to keep a record of the books I read. This record turned into reviews so I would remember if I liked the book I forgot I had read. I am not particularily funny and my grammer sucks so please don’t expect much. Basically I don’t know jack about many things, but I do know what I like in a novel and what makes me want to spend my money on an author.
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