Book Release Blast for Fake Fiance for Christmas by Carol Burnside……

 Two people with bruised hearts from their past find themselves making a connection over Christmas, a connection that starts out as a lie but soon becomes all too real in a sweet slow-burn journey to HEA.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Fake Fiance for Christmas by Carol Burnside, then add this heartwarming stand-alone holiday-fueled tale to your bookshelf!

Faced with a broken engagement due to her guarded heart and her family expecting to meet her fiancé during the first Christmas without her Gran, Lia Taylor decides to take her friends’ advice. She’ll take a fake fiancé home for Christmas.

Ryan Barton grew up in foster homes, unaware he had a family until he met his grandmother at sixteen. Lia’s offer of a noisy family Christmas with a big elaborate meal sounds like heaven, even the part about pretending to be her fiancé.
As Lia and Ryan get to know each other and practice casual touching, hugs, and kisses, their feelings grow. They decide to try for a real relationship with the promise that when either of them withdraws due to old fears, the other will pull them back.
But what will save them when they both withdraw in fear? Are their recent feelings strong enough to save their new relationship or will they hide within the safety of their guarded hearts?

EXCERPT:

“They’ll expect us to touch.” Lia draped her hand across Ryan’s forearm and his eyes gentled, darkened. “Like this. Casual. Easy. And to hold hands. I hope you don’t mind.”
Ryan turned his arm over and linked his fingers through hers. “We got this.”
She swallowed, unable to tear her gaze off his, and nodded. It felt both foreign and familiar, holding hands with him.
“I think I’m going to like this gig.” He gave her fingers an easy squeeze. “Should we also practice...” His lashes lowered, gaze trained on her mouth. As the fingers of his free hand slid along her jawline, something like static electricity blazed across her skin.
Holy cow. Lia’s pulse bumped and her chest froze, making it difficult to breathe. She parted her lips to answer but couldn’t produce so much as a squeak. After she managed the tiniest of nods, he leaned forward, and his face blurred.
Ryan’s lips touched Lia’s and withdrew. He caught her in mid-gasp the second time and took advantage of her parted lips to flick his tongue against hers, igniting a fire that thawed her chest.
He angled his head and came in for more, tongues teasing, tasting, learning each other. His hands were firm on her back, pulling her closer until she was consumed in the solidness of him and the fire he stoked. She clutched at his shoulders as if they were her lifeline because she was completely engulfed in sensation.
And a choir of angels sang “Hallelujah.”
Ryan chuckled into the kiss, then tore away laughing. Lia scrambled for her phone, the Hallelujah Chorus one she’d assigned to her older brother because he rarely called. When he finally did, she considered it a small miracle. Not so much right now, though. His timing couldn’t be worse.
“What, Spence?” she demanded without preamble. “You’re on speaker.”
“Whoa. Ho, ho, ho to you, too, little sis.”
“Sorry, bad timing. We were...uhm, what’s up?”
“You tell me. My travel app shows your plane came in on time, but we haven’t heard from you. I was elected to find out what the holdup is.”
“Oh. Well, Ryan couldn’t get the same flight, and there was a slight delay, but he’s here now, and we’re about to leave the airport.”
“Right, the fiancé. We can’t wait to meet this guy and size him up.”
“Very funny. Best behavior today, and I mean it, Spence. So help me—” Lia looked over a sea of autos, anywhere but at Ryan.
“Kidding. Damn, girl, where’s your sense of humor?”
“Buried under travel stress. Hey, how’s Mom holding up?” Lia kept her brother on the line to delay renewed mortification over the kiss.
“Oh, you know.” There was a slight pause, and Spence’s voice quieted as if he’d moved out of earshot. “She’s...trying, but the tree isn’t decorated.”
“What?” Lia couldn’t believe it. She pressed her lips together. Ever since Spence had gone to college, her mom made a point of having the tree ready to welcome them home at Christmas. “She said we’ll all do it together, and it’ll make Brian feel more at home. Having y’all here will help.”
“It’s Ryan. Geriatric brain, much?”
“I could’ve sworn Mom said Brian, but the TV was blaring. Oh, well. Hang up and drive, girl. We’re waiting, and hey, save me a hug.”
“Back at ya. Bye.” Lia returned the cell to her purse, taking extra care to stow it properly. “Sounds like you deflected the name change deftly.” Ryan buckled his seatbelt.
Lia clicked hers into the slot, relieved to talk about any subject but their scorching-hot kiss.
“Yeah, but I think it’ll be fine since your names are similar. Brian, Ryan. Easy to brush it off as ‘Oh, you misunderstood.’”
“Good.”
Silence fell between them. Lia found a radio station and slipped the gear shift into reverse. “Okay, let’s do this.”

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON (US)  |  AMAZON (UK)  |  BOOKS2READ  |  GOOGLE PLAY

AUTHOR INFO:

Carol Burnside: Sizzling romance with heart and humor...
Carol Burnside is an award-winning author of "Sizzling romance with heart and humor." Her personal second-chance-at-love story resulted in an enduring marriage to her high school sweetheart. They reside in the Texas hill country, where Carol enjoys visiting wildlife from her covered back porch. Like any true southerner, she drinks tea in some form year-round. Carol's novel length manuscripts have placed in numerous contests and won several, including the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence. She also writes as Annie Rayburn.

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Book Blast for Midnight Mystique by Anya Summers (GIVEAWAY)……..

A single mom finds herself growing closer to the dom posing as her fake fiancée in this erotically charged contemporary romance.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Midnight Mystique by Anya Summers, then learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour.  In honor of this second installment in the Dungeon Singles Night series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $25 bookstore GC too!

Dakota needs help. Badly.

The last thing she expects is for the Bad Boy of Eternal Eros to step in, sweep her off her feet, and offer his protection.

Maybe she accepts because they were matched up at the last singles night. Maybe it was the scorching passion she experienced at his skilled hands. Maybe it’s the way he dotes on her daughter.

All she knows is that the more the lines between reality and fantasy blur, the harder it will be to let him go. The more time he spends posing as her fake fiancé, the more she realizes she’s no longer faking her feelings. With every touch, every kiss, every heated glance, she realizes she wants more than one night. She wants the scarred bad boy’s heart to be hers for all time.

EXCERPT:

Ryker had dressed the part tonight, too, which was shocking and rather hot. She hadn’t realized that leather pants with a blue-green scale pattern existed. Combined with the gold belt, cross body gold armor over his bare chest covered in inky chest hair, a pair of fish fin forearm bands over his muscular arms, and a King of the Sea tall, gold pitchfork, the sinfully handsome Dom caused her nether region to purr in delight. The man was sex on a stick personified.

Dakota ignored her body’s response to the gorgeous alpha. He was the last Dom she would ever tangle with at the club.

In the Pit, a line of submissives formed. Dakota held the bin, laughing with each woman as she flushed or squealed with delight over her selection. Dakota was participating too. She had signed up before the events of the previous weekend. But given she was running the show tonight, she would select the last marker, whoever the Dom might be.

The line dwindled as the submissives headed to the scene area where the Dom would meet them after the selection process was complete.

Dakota noted the Doms who had been chosen as the markers disappeared. She had been hoping for the blond firefighter Cooper, or perhaps even Xavier or Colin. But she felt her good mood deflate as the activity wore on and the Doms she considered would be great to ease her dry spell were taken.

There were two markers left when Nora stepped up to make her choice: Rafael and Ryker.

Rafael was a strict Dom who liked doling out punishment. While he wasn’t Dakota’s first or even second choice, he would be preferable to the other one.

Nora, in her pretty pastel mermaid outfit, fished her hand around the empty bin with her eyes closed. The submissive’s breath caught as her hand closed around one marker and she drew it out. Before Nora opened her gaze, Dakota spied the name on the marker in her hand. Rafael.

Double damn.

That left her with Ryker.

She plunged her hand in and grabbed the marker, then glanced up from the pit to the surrounding crowd. Her gaze latched on to the Dom in question.

Dakota’s breath caught at the undercurrent that zapped between them. He cast her a sardonic grin. It was as if he knew she didn’t want to scene with him, and his gaze dared her to withdraw from participating.

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON  |  BN  |  KOBO  |  iBOOKS  |  UNIVERSAL

BUY THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE DUNGEON SINGLES NIGHT SERIES: MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE (BOOK #1)  |  MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (BOOK #3)

AUTHOR INFO:

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

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Book Release Blast for Earn Your Extra Credit by Meghan Quinn (REVIEW).....

A man stuck in the friend-zone ends up playing fake fiancée to the woman he wants to be more than friends with in this contemporary romance teeming with sexual tension.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Earn Your Extra Credit by Meghan Quinn, along with my impressions of this standalone story, then be sure to add this rom-com to your bookshelf!

"She went home with someone else that night?"

Hearing the disbelief from my best friend's mouth makes the events of my failed date sting that much more.

I would like to make it known, I have a lot more swagger than what it seems. I don't normally ask a girl out, have her fail to recognize it's a date, and then give me a high five--as if I'm her wingman--and take off with someone else.

No. Normally I'm the one taking the girl home but with Stella, it's been one failed attempt after another and frankly, I'm done trying.

But thanks to my best friend getting married in Hawaii right before the school year starts, I'm stuck on a tropical island, watching Stella parade around in what she claims is a bathing suit.

Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it, just the tip of the iceberg. Because what I think is going to be a relaxing vacation, avoiding the one girl I can't seem to make it work with, has turned into a spectacle of being recruited as Stella's doting fake fiancé so she can save face with an old "friend" from high school.

Now I'm navigating through purgatory while trying not to get turned on by the way she holds my hand or kisses my jaw. It's all fake, that's what I keep telling myself, even though it feels entirely too real.

EXCERPT:

“Do you want to sit next to Stella on the airplane?” Arlo asks.

“What? Fuck, no,” I say while turning up the game so I can hear the announcers over my tedious, wedding-planning best friend.

Arlo snatches the remote from my hand and turns off the TV. The room is silent for a moment before uproarious objections fill the air.

“Gentry is up next,” Gunner, my other best friend and former teammate, complains from next to me. “He’s three for three so far.”

“We need to talk,” Arlo says in that stern, alpha-like voice that won over his fiancée. Little does he know it doesn’t work on me.

I reach for the remote but he swats my hand with a resounding thud, causing me to yank my hand back. “What the actual fuck, man?”

When I decided to have the guys over to my loft, I assumed we’d tear up some wings, drain some brews, and watch the Bobbies game. Never in my wildest fucking dreams would I have pictured Arlo Turner, the grumpy curmudgeon of the Forest Heights English department, to roll in like a beaming bride, holding a wedding planning folder to his chest, and consume the night with questions about what he should wear and if coconut cake is too “Hawaiian-y” for his Maui destination wedding.

But here we are.

“Cut the crap, Romeo.”

“Cut what crap?” I reach over to the coffee table and pick up my almost empty glass of beer.

“I’m not about to have the Bickersons attend my wedding, so what the hell is going on with Stella?”“Nothing is going on,” I answer, then take a small sip of my beer, making the liquid last so I don’t have to get up for a refill.

Gunner leans in and asks, “If we get to the bottom of the problem, can we turn the TV back on?”

“Yes,” Arlo answers.

“Then it was the baseball game he took her to.”

“Dude,” I say in protest while sitting up on the couch. “What the fuck happened to don’t say anything?"

Gunner unapologetically shrugs. “I really want to watch the Bobbies kill the Rebels in interleague play."

“What baseball game?” Arlo asks. “Do you mean the game you took her and Cora to?”

“Yup.” Gunner pops a chip in his mouth from the bowl on the coffee table. “Except Cora wasn’t supposed to go. It was supposed to be a daaate,” Gunner drags out.

“You asked Stella out?” Arlo asks, shocked.

“Way to sell me out for a game, you dick.”

Not showing an ounce of remorse, Gunner stands from the couch and takes my glass from me.

“I’ll top you off. You’ll need it.”

Seething, I pass my hand over my head and say, “Yeah, I asked her out. She invited Cora. End of story."

“That’s not the end of the story,” Gunner says from the kitchen, the open concept of my loft allowing his voice to carry to us easily.

When you think a friend is trustworthy and then they go and shock your fucking nuts right off by divulging everything you told them in secret...without even a blink of an eye. Gunner is dead to me.

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t say anything to Arlo about what happened, given he’s one of my best friends, right? It’s simple. Gunner got me drunk and I relished in the comfort of far too many cold beers and a listening ear. If it wasn’t for that, I’d have kept my mouth shut, because the entire incident was fucking humiliating.

Between you and me, I’ve liked Stella Garcia, the Spanish teacher at Forest Heights, for a while now. Far too long actually. I can’t quite pinpoint when it happened, but all I know is over the three years I’ve known her, I’ve been pining after the girl for the majority of the time.

Fucking bold, quick-witted with a sharp tongue, loves sports, shy when it counts. Flat-out gorgeous with her long, wavy brown hair and fascinating green eyes that have a ring of brown around the pupil. She’s had my attention for a while and last year, I decided to finally make a move.

Enough was enough. We shared too many dinners together as friends. She’s pressed her lips to my beer glass without a second thought way too many times. The moment presented itself, I grew a pair, and asked her out to a baseball game knowing she loves watching the sport as much as I do.

But fuck did it backfire.

“What’s the end of the story?” Arlo asks, growing agitated. His patience runs thin, which is surprising, given his profession of educating the youth.

He’s not going to drop it. Arlo’s relentless when he wants to know something.

Dragging my hand down my face, I say, “It was supposed to be a date.” Gunner sits next to me and hands me my refilled glass, which I gladly take. “She invited Cora. Which was fine. We had a good time, I still sat next to Stella, and we shared jokes even if there was a third wheel. But it was what happened afterwards that—”

“That gutted him,” Gunner finishes for me. When I snap a look at him, he smirks. “That’s what you told me. Just thought I’d help tell the story.”

“I wasn’t gutted.”

Maybe I was a little.

Hell...I was humiliated.

Gutted isn’t a strong enough word for what happened.

“What the fuck happened after? Christ. Why are you taking so damn long to get to the point?” Arlo practically growls.

“Go easy on our guy.” Gunner grips my shoulder. “He was embarrassed, man.”

“It’s fine, I’m over it now,” I say in a passive-aggressive tone.

“You’re clearly not if you and Stella can’t even be in the same room together. I don’t want anything ruining this trip for Greer, and your constant arguing with Stella is driving everyone fucking crazy."

“Great, then I just won’t talk to her. Simple.”

“Just tell him,” Gunner says, nudging me.

Christ.

Staring down at my beer, I quietly say, “She went home with someone else that night.”

The room falls silent.

They don’t have to react for me to know what they must be thinking. They know I’ve liked Stella for a while. They know I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask her out.

And this...hell, this was an epic fail on my end.

It wouldn’t be as bad if I weren’t already carrying a chip on my shoulder about the way I was forced to twist my life around.

Five years ago, everything changed.

Five years ago, I was stripped of the one thing that brought me life.

A ruptured Achilles tendon ended everything for me.

I never got the chance to appreciate my last game.

I never had the opportunity to sit on the field and say goodbye.

Instead, playing professional baseball was stripped from me and I was forced to fall back on my teaching degree I earned while playing in college.

To say I’m bitter, resentful, and fucking angry...yeah, that’s an understatement.

I live with regret daily and harbor more animosity than anyone should.

So, when I took Stella to the game, on a date, hoping to tell her how I feel, and she went home with someone else, it fucking stung.

Do you know what stung more, though?

The fact that she looked right past me and instead went for a rookie on the Bobbies.

Why go out with a washed-up baseball player turned phys ed teacher with a slight limp in his walk, when you can go out with an unmarred professional baseball player?

Yeah. There’s resentment for a reason. She chose the star. That’s who she wants.

That’s who I’ll never be.

And that’s why I plan on staying as far away from Stella Garcia on this trip as I can.

And when we get back to Chicago and the school year starts, everything will go on as planned.

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

Too easy, right?

FIND AT GOODREADS here.

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON (US)  |  AMAZON (UK)  |  AMAZON (CA)  |  AMAZON (AU)  |  UNIVERSAL  |  UNIVERSAL AUDIO

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

After reading Ms. Quinn's See Me After Class I couldn't wait to revisit the characters introduced to us throughout the story, a likable group of teachers whose interactions put a smile on my face.  When the wedding of two members of the group sends all of them to Hawaii in this latest release it leads to a new romance between a man stuck in the friend zone and the woman who wants him to play her fake fiancée.  In a romance full of witty banter, playful interactions, and encounters teeming with sexual tension, Ms. Quinn again demonstrates why she's the master of rom-coms in a story that I recommend to all those looking for a fun and flirty read!

I was drawn to Romeo the moment I first saw him courtesy of the fun-loving nature he shows to the world as evidenced by the practical jokes and humorous exchanges between him and his fellow teachers.  Behind that carefree facade though is a man who feels cheated by fate after an injury ended his baseball career prematurely.  He wanted things to be on his terms and is bitter over how out of control life has gone for him.  When it comes to his romantic life, that too isn't going as he hoped it would as his long-simmering attraction to fellow teacher Stella is stuck in the friend-zone.  Deciding that he's had enough of her obliviousness to his feelings he tries to keep her at arm's length, but when she suggests they engage in a fake relationship to get back at a former bully, he puts his heart on the line one last time.  Throughout their fake relationship Romeo endeared himself to me, showed himself to be loyal and caring as he could never say no to Stella no matter how often she hurt him.  The moment they give in to the physical side of their fake relationship though is the moment everything becomes oh so real and they're forced into dealing with their true feelings head-on.

Ms. Quinn has crafted many wonderful heroines, but I must admit that Stella isn't one of my favorites.  She's a fun character, quick with witty banter and playful interactions with her fellow teachers.  When it comes to life though she's oblivious.  She spends a lot of time in her head, worried about the stupidest things while ignoring what's right in front of her.  She treated Romeo quite shabbily early on, but then couldn't understand why he tried to keep her at arm's length....seriously?!?  As the story progressed though, and as she looked inside herself more, she became more worthy of the delicious Romeo in a journey of heartfelt introspection.

From the very start this is an entertaining read full of witty banter and laugh out loud moments.  With a main couple who sometimes frustrated me, but always had me rooting for them, theirs was a crackling connection that made their rocky road to HEA all the more worthwhile.  Each gave as good as they got in fun and flirty exchanges that practically jumped off the pages.  Romeo joins a long line of drool-worthy heroes, an alpha male with a talent for dirty talk but with a heart of gold too.  Stella's not Ms. Quinn's typical heroine, but the growth she goes through had me eventually warming up to her and finding her a good match for Romeo.  Surrounding this entertaining main couple were characters readers have gotten to know throughout each book released by Ms. Quinn, with each character coming to feel like family, and because of that I'm excited for the next release by this talented author.

My rating for this is a B+

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR LINKS:

FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE  |  AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE  |  WEBSITE  |  INSTAGRAM  |  BOOKBUB

Book Tour for The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret (GIVEAWAY)

Readers will find themselves charmed by this historical romance of a woman trying to succeed in business who pretends to be engaged to the rough-around-the-edges man across the street in a combustible relationship of opposites attracting.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret, then add it to your bookshelf.  In honor of this third installment in the Misadventures in Matchmaking series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win 1 print copy of the previous book in this series too!

The Bourne Matrimonial Agency has one rule: Never fall in love with a client, which shouldn't be a problem when one’s faking an engagement to the rogue across the street...

Ainsley Bourne needs the family business to succeed. But one obstacle stands in her way—Reed Sterling, the huge, handsome, former prize fighter and owner of the gaming hell across the street. His scandalous customers scare off all her marriage-minded patrons and since the devilish brute has no intention of relocating, she sets out to ruin his unsavory establishment. Yet when a vile suitor from her past reappears, Ainsley hastily claims an attachment to the first man who comes to mind...Mr. Sterling, to be exact.

Reed doesn’t know who is more surprised by Miss Bourne’s declaration. She clearly hates him, and he’d never admit their arguments simmer with unrequited attraction. Something about the pleading look in her eyes calls to Reed, and against his better judgment, he quickly plays the part of the besotted fiance.

Pretending to be in love requires a convincing charade. But with each tantalizing touch and every scandalous kiss, Ainsley starts to wonder if Reed was ever really the enemy at all.

EXCERPT:

“I hardly need your advice,” Ainsley scolded him in return, every word pushing her flesh against his. Almost as if...as if she had just kissed him.

But this wasn’t kissing, she assured herself. This was merely a new form of arguing.

Anticipating his next contradiction, she angled her head for closer contact and Reed growled in response.

The low, primal sound sent an unexpected thrill rushing through her.

“It would be a waste of breath to attempt to tell you anything,” he said, fitting his other hand over the curve of her cheek to cradle her face. “Even if I wanted to say that your lips are soft and plump and more luscious than wine-poached pears, I wouldn’t.”

Then he tilted her head back to cement his argument, opening her mouth with his own. He nibbled gently into her flesh, tasting the seam of her lips without hurry. The slow, thorough exploration caused her eyes to drift closed.

Her senses centered on the firm, enticing pressure of his mouth, the delicious rasp of his tongue. A wanton mewl tore from her throat, hungry and needy and urgent.

The unguarded sound brought her to an uncomfortable admission...

She might be kissing the enemy.

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON  |  AVON ROMANCE  |  BN  |  GOOGLE PLAY  |  iBOOKS

AUTHOR INFO:

USA Today bestselling author, VIVIENNE LORRET transforms copious amounts of tea into words. She is an Avon author of works including: The Wallflower Wedding Series, The Rakes of Fallow Hall Series, The Season’s Original Series, and the Misadventures in Matchmaking series.

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Entangled Publishing’s 25 Days of Holiday Steals

Entangled Publishing is celebrating the holidays with 25 Days of Holiday Steals.  Every day they’re spotlighting a special steal of a deal from December 1st through December 25th.  So be sure to check back each day to see what special offer is up for grabs!

Today’s Steal Is...

Seven Day Fiancé by Rachel Harris is just 99¢!

Grab your copy today!

One bad boy. One good girl. One unforgettable week...

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning Cane at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.

EXCERPT:

Angelle stopped beside a folding table boasting boxes of fresh, crispy cracklins and selected a thick piece. Cane watched, mesmerized, as she puckered those gorgeous lips and blew on the sliver. With a flirtatious glint in her eyes, she held it up to his mouth, and he opened.

Holy crap.
He’d had cracklins before. Fried pork fat was a standard gas station treat, usually shrink wrapped and stale as shit. But this, fresh from the pot and piping hot, was unbelievable. Cane widened his eyes, and it was possible he even moaned. It was that good. And as he swallowed, Angel rewarded him with a rich, throaty laugh.

“Ca c’est bon?” she asked, grinning when he grabbed another handful. He touched her nose and popped a piece in his mouth. “Good would be an understatement.”
Grinning, she took a fried morsel for herself and sent the balding, overweight gentleman tending the table a wink. “Now that’s what we like to hear.” Then she closed her eyes as she savored the treat.
The sounds of Angel moaning, and watching her face soften in the throes of a foodgasm, had to be the sexiest damn thing Cane had ever seen. His pants tightened, embarrassingly so considering he knew the audience was still watching, but what pushed him over the edge was when her eyes opened. The pleasure in them was his undoing.
Feeling the weight of the crowd’s disapproving stares and not giving a damn, figuring now was as good a time as any to give the people the show they clearly wanted, he grasped her hip and tugged her forward, pausing only to inhale her gasp of surprise before brushing her mouth with his.
It was like setting off a damn forest fire.

Angelle, his shocking little hellcat, pounced. Forgetting all about their audience, or maybe not giving a damn either, she wound her arms around his neck, lifted onto her toes, and kissed him back with everything she had. Cane had intended to steal a quick taste, take the edge off his craving for her, and prove their point with the town’s people. But hell if he was gonna be the one to back down now. Tightening his grasp on her slim hips, he brushed his thumbs across the smooth, exposed skin near her waistband. He deepened the kiss, thrilling over her telltale shiver. Whimpering, she yanked on the hair at his nape and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. Hot damn.
Okay, now he had to start backing down. With all her male relatives watching, not to mention the knives and axes still lying around from the butchering earlier, if Cane valued his life, he needed to wrangle control of the situation. He’d heard patience was a virtue.
That was a line of bull—he’d always sucked at waiting for anything he wanted. But for Angel, he was willing to try.
Loosening his grip on her belt loops, Cane slowed the intensity of the kiss. He smoothed the hem of her shirt down, grazed her lips one last time, and, placing his forehead against hers, inhaled through his nose. Sunflowers mixed with cayenne may be his new favorite scent. Angelle released a heavy breath, a flush blooming on her cheeks. She darted a glance at the crowd, then looking into his eyes, grinned lazily. “My goodness. If anyone doubted we were a couple before, I guess that showed them.”

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Book Tour for A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe (GIVEAWAY)

Fans of historical romances will find themselves drawn to this tale of a woman in love with the wrong man who sets up a fake engagement with a man whose reputation is even worse.  Keep reading to get a tempting taste of A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe, in a romance of opposites attracting where no one is who they seem, then add this debut Avon romance to your bookshelf.  In honor of this first installment in The Four Hundred series follow the link below for US readers to have the chance to win a print copy of this book too!

Set in New York City’s Gilded Age, Joanna Shupe’s Avon debut introduces an English beauty with a wicked scheme to win the man she loves—and the American scoundrel who ruins her best laid plans...

Lady Honora Parker must get engaged as soon as possible, and only a particular type of man will do. Nora seeks a mate so abhorrent, so completely unacceptable, that her father will reject the match—leaving her free to marry the artist she loves. Who then is the most appalling man in Manhattan? The wealthy, devilishly handsome financier, Julius Hatcher, of course...

Julius is intrigued by Nora’s ruse and decides to play along. But to Nora’s horror, Julius transforms himself into the perfect fiancé, charming the very people she hoped he would offend. It seems Julius has a secret plan all his own—one that will solve a dark mystery from his past, and perhaps turn him into the kind of man Nora could truly love.

EXCERPT:

The pressed tin ceiling was about to cave in on their heads.

Lady Honora Parker glanced upward once again, fascinated by what was taking place on the second floor of Sherry’s, one of New York’s most exclusive restaurants. Each raucous thump and horrific crash from above shook the huge gold and crystal chandelier in the main dining room and caused the black-coated waiters to wince. It sounded as if a herd of elephants were up there.

From what Nora had seen and heard of the reckless Americans in the last month, she would not be surprised if it were elephants. Nothing seemed off limits here, no idea too big or too wild. Giant houses, like English country estates, lined Fifth Avenue. Imported marble, bright limestone, and shiny gilding blinded from every street corner. Tall buildings stretched high up into the sky. There was a sense of urgency in New York to buy more, build more, do more. It made her long for the dirty, crowded, yet civilized streets of London.

“Nora, dear,” her aunt’s gentle voice interrupted her thoughts. “Mr. Van Rensselaer asked you a question.”

She turned to the older, heavyset man on her right. Her uncle had arranged the dinner, one of many meetings designed for her to find a “suitable” man. But the idea of marriage to a man old enough to be her father made Nora’s skin crawl. Even her aunt disapproved of Van Rensselaer, saying he was, “a set of heavy eyebrows with a stick up his behind.”

It must be said that Nora adored her aunt.

More importantly, Nora did not desire a suitable American man, not when a perfectly suitable artist awaited her back in London. Her father hadn’t approved of said artist, unfortunately, which is how she now found herself in America, being trotted around New York like a prized thoroughbred up for auction. That’s the earl’s daughter, they whispered behind her back. Here to find a husband.

No, she absolutely would not. Nora had no intention of marrying anyone here. “I apologize,” she replied to the eyebrows. “You were saying?”

“Perfectly understandable.” Mr. Van Rensselaer smiled tolerantly at her, as if Nora were some flighty nitwit incapable of following a conversation. Commence additional skin crawling. “I asked if your ladyship missed London.”

Yes, I miss Robert terribly. Her heart squeezed in a tight grip, an ache settling in her throat. A young painter, Robert Landon had no money or title to speak of, but she didn’t care. He’d been the first person to see Nora for who she truly was, not just her father’s daughter. He was sweet and romantic and all she desired in this world. After they married, they planned to travel across Europe so Robert could hone his craft. She would keep him company and continue to serve as his “muse,” as he often called her.

Her father, the Earl of Stratton, hadn’t approved. He’d been horrified when Robert and Nora were caught together—a scene orchestrated for the earl’s benefit at a dinner party—and from there, things had taken a disastrous turn. Instead of forcing the young lovers to marry, as she’d hoped, her furious father rushed Nora off to his sister in New York. “No one there will have heard of the scandal yet,” he had said. “Your aunt will help you find a proper husband in America. Do not return without one. Now, do not disappoint me, Nora.”

Was that not what she’d been doing her entire life, disappointing him? He’d wanted a boy; she’d been born a girl. She had studied, practiced, and tried to be the perfect daughter, and he’d only ignored her. She’d smiled through her debut, eager to make him proud, and he hadn’t bothered to attend any of the balls or dances.

Attempts at playing the good daughter, the proper society young woman, had gotten her nothing. Worse, they’d resulted in a trip to a strange city to be dangled in front of every fortune hunter and insufferable snob twice her age.

So that proper society young woman was no more. A new Nora had emerged on the cross-Atlantic voyage four weeks ago, one who had decided to take matters into her own hands by concocting an infallible way back to London.

The plan was simple. If her father wanted her to find a husband, she’d find the most outrageous man in New York, a fiancé noteworthy and unsuitable enough to land in the papers. An actor? A politician? She hadn’t quite settled on how to achieve it yet . . . but she would. She had to. The news must become public enough to reach the earl’s ear across the Atlantic, horrifying him enough to summon her home.

To Robert.

Three sets of eyes were staring, so she returned her attention to the conversation at hand. “I do miss it. Certainly not the weather, however.”

Aunt Beatrice, Uncle James, and Mr. Van Rensselaer laughed, and conversation droned on until another loud thump sounded from above. Her uncle’s mouth flattened. “I cannot comprehend why that hullabaloo is permitted to continue.”

Mr. Van Rensselaer wiped his mouth with the linen serviette. “From what I understand, Mr. Hatcher is up in the ballroom. Some sort of exclusive dinner. This is why your country is superior to ours, Lady Nora, because the undesirables here have no idea how to conduct themselves properly.”

By “undesirables,” it was clear he meant men who had earned their wealth, not inherited it as he had. Had he any idea how pompous that made him sound? Though Robert had no money, he was a kind, decent, and loving man with brilliant wit and unshakable morals. That was the perfect man, not one like Mr. Van Rensselaer, who’d visibly sneered at the modest blue silk gown she wore tonight. While it might be conservative compared to the fancier American gowns throughout the dining room, she believed the color showed off her dark chestnut hair and golden-brown eyes.

“Mr. Julius Hatcher?” Aunt Bea asked. “The financier?”

“Indeed. The man’s a scourge on everything decent and upstanding in this city.” Van Rensselaer cut into his asparagus spears. “Do not worry, though. He doesn’t exactly run in the best circles. In fact, he’s tried numerous times to buy his way into polite society over the years, but they won’t have him.”

Though she’d only been in New York a month, Nora had heard of Julius Hatcher. A handsome, brash swell with more money than sense, he threw elaborate parties and associated with a string of high-profile actresses, at least according to the gossip pages. He’d even built a replica of a sixteenth-century French castle on Upper Fifth Avenue—complete with a moat.

Though the newspapers touted his exploits with glee, society thought him outrageous and improper. A society he’d apparently tried to buy his way into—and failed. And here her father had disapproved of Robert when there were scoundrels like Julius Hatcher running amok. However was that possibly fair? It would serve the earl right if she brought Hatcher home for—Her brain froze for an instant, stuck on the delicious idea. Oh, indeed, it would serve the earl right. Her father would never approve of Hatcher as a husband, a scoundrel who would bring shame to the venerable Parker name. Surely that would force her father to see Robert in a more favorable light. It would certainly prove that a hardworking, decent man like Robert was good enough to marry the earl’s only daughter.

Moreover, the second her father caught wind of her connection to Hatcher and the depravity of his reputation, he would undoubtedly bring her home posthaste.

Mr. Hatcher sounded like the answer to her prayers.

Another thud sounded from above. This is my chance. She had to find Hatcher and try to convince him to help her. Right now. Immediately. Before she lost this opportunity. She started to push her chair back and a waiter rushed over to assist her. “If you will excuse me, I am feeling a bit overheated.”

“Shall I come with you?” her aunt asked as the two gentlemen politely rose as well.

“No, please,” she rushed out a little desperately, then tempered her tone. “Enjoy your meal. I’ll put a cool cloth to my neck and return in moments.”

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AUTHOR INFO:

Joanna Shupe has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. While in college, Joanna read every romance she could get her hands on and soon started crafting her own racy historical novels. In 2013, she won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart® Award for Best Historical. She now lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and dashing husband.

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