THE MOST ELIGIBLE VISCOUNT IN LONDON by Ella Quinn

Notes From a Romantic’s Heart is overjoyed to welcome one of my favorite authors, Ella Quinn, to talk about her new book, The Most Eligible Viscount in London. Don’t forget to enter the Giveaway at the end of the post!

 

GENRE:  Regency Romance

About the Book

In bestselling author Ella Quinn’s intriguing new Regency trilogy, a dashing suitor must decide if love and marriage are mutually exclusive . . .

Viscount Gavin Turley is convinced that love matches cause nothing but trouble. Still, after months of courting, he’s fallen for Miss Georgie Featherton. He’s passionate about her, in fact. But words of love are not an indulgence he will allow himself. When he presents Georgie with his marriage proposal, he will lead with his head—not his heart. His qualifications as a husband are excellent, after all. What could go wrong?

No sooner does Gavin kneel on one knee than Georgie’s heart goes aflutter with joy. Finally, the proposal she longed for had arrived. Yet Gavin seemed to be listing his credentials for a business partnership, not a romantic union. Without a declaration of love, Georgie can only reject his offer—unless the ladies of the ton, and Georgie’s grandmamma, have anything to do with it. For sometimes it takes a wiser eye to see the love behind a guarded heart—and a clever scheme to bring it out of hiding . . .

Amazon ~ Apple ~ Google ~ Kobo ~ Nook

 Audiobook narrated by Rachael Beresford

Audible ~ Amazon Audio ~ iTunes 

Read an Excerpt

 

A light tap sounded on the door to Georgie’s parlor. Smith opened it and stood aside as Adeline swept into the room.

“I did not think you would be resting.” She sounded pleased to have been right. “How are you doing?”

Georgie shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

“I can tell you that he does want very much to marry you.” Georgie pulled a face. “Yet he is still haunted by his father.”

In an attempt to help, Littleton had told Adeline who in turn told Georgie about the mess the former Lord Turley had made of everything after his wife had died. “I understand why he thinks he should not love his wife, but I do not understand how one can stop oneself from falling in love.” And that was the essence of the matter. Georgie firmly believed that love was the thing that held two people together during difficult times. She began pacing the room again, changing directions so as not to wear a path in the rug. “Do I give him another chance? Or would I be wasting my time? If he is so certain he will not love his wife, I do not see what I can do to change his mind.”

Adeline’s forehead creased in thought. “Allowing him until the end of the month to convince you would still give you time to go back to Town before the Season ends, and it would answer your questions.”

“I suppose you are correct.” Georgie stopped pacing. Why was this so hard? She closed her eyes and reached deep into her heart. There was a chance that there might be another gentleman out there who was even more perfect for her than Lord Turley only because this unknown gentleman loved her. But until she knew for certain that Turley would never love her, she would give him an opportunity to prove himself. “I shall give him one more chance.”

“I need to tell you one more bit of information.” This time her friend had a wicked grin on her face. “Your grandmother and her friend the duchess arrive tomorrow. They are staying with Mama-in-law.”

“And Turley.” Georgie felt her eyes widen. “Oh my. That will be interesting. What I would not give to hear what they have to say to him.”

“That is exactly what I thought,” her friend agreed. “Frits has suggested that he be allowed to come here as often as he wishes in order to court you. Do you have any objections?”

Georgie began pacing again. For some reason, she could not remain still. Littlewood really was the perfect place for a courtship. Other than the house party entertainments, they could spend time out of the eyes of the ton. It would give her—them—both the opportunity to attempt to resolve the differences in what they each wanted in a marriage. “No.” She wondered what role her grandmother and the duchess would play. “No. I have no objections.” Having a course of action would, at the very least, help her shake off the malaise she had been experiencing. “In fact, I believe I am looking forward to seeing how he intends to convince me I should enter into a loveless marriage.”

 

Meet the Author

 

USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn's studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a Great Dane. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement.

Ella loves when readers connect with her.

Ella's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

The Giveaway

Ella Quinn will award a $25 Amazon/iTunes Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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As always, it’s been a pleasure hosting today guest – my cruising buddy – Ella Quinn! Please come back again next week for more authors, books, and giveaways.

Nancy

OPERATION CODE NAME: DESERT LOVE by Author Constance Bretes

 

Today, Notes From a Romantic’s Heart, is pleased to welcome Author Constance Bretes to the blog. Constance is sharing her military romance, Operation Code Name: Desert Love. And, me being nosey, I asked her some questions just to get us started.

 

Inquiring Minds Really Want to Know

 

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

This particular book is a figment of my imagination. Although I’ve written several books based on some portion of real life experiences.

Is the setting for your book real? If so, have you been there? If it’s fictitious, is there somewhere real that you’ve used as a model?

The setting is real, Afghanistan, Norfolk VA, the military bases,

 

Do you like to read in the genre in which you write? Or, are you adventurous?

I very seldom read in my genre.  I love reading mafia romances, but I would probably never write them.

 

If you listen to music while you write, what are the top three songs on your playlist?

I Love You Always and Forever by Donna Lewis

Feels so Right by Alabama

I’ll Do Anything by, Gordon Lightfoot

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About the Book

Her best hope for survival is the one man she never wants to see again.

Clarissa Maasen is a humanitarian relief worker who’s stationed in Afghanistan. When she and two of her coworkers are kidnapped by insurgents and held hostage, she can only hope that her father, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will send his best men to rescue them—more specifically, Len Roberts of the Delta Force.

The last time Len saw Clarissa, it did not end on good terms. But he will risk his life to rescue this woman who is never far from his thoughts.

Can he rescue her in time? And will they be able to control the passion erupting between them?

Get it HERE

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Read an Excerpt

 

“Can we take a small tour around the city and enjoy the coolness of the evening?”

“Yeah, we can do that.” Clarissa loved fast speeds, and Len seemed to have remembered that. He sped the Humvee on a few roads in Kabul that were open, with no dense neighborhoods. It felt exhilarating to Clarissa. She stood up a few times, holding on to the top of the windshield, feeling the wind against her face, and her hair going wild. After doing a few rounds, Len pulled up at the US Embassy. Clarissa stood in the vehicle before he came to a stop and yelled, “Woo hoo!” The guys standing outside the building turned then gave them the thumbs-up. “That felt so good.”

Len had a lopsided grin on his face. “Yeah. It did feel good. You still want to do that run?”

“Well, yeah.”

Len chuckled. “I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.”

“Okay.” Clarissa hurried to her room to change. She pulled her messy hair into a ponytail, slipped into a pair of shorts with tassels around the hem she’d just bought, a lightweight top, and a new pair of running shoes and socks. When she got to the steps outside to meet Len, he was already there in his army shorts, doing warm-ups and talking to a couple of guys.

“Hi,” Clarissa said to the two men in army garb who were talking to Len. One guy nodded, and the other said, “Hey.”

“I’ll see you at the heli-pad at eleven hundred hours,” Len said. The two men saluted Len and sped quickly down the steps.

Clarissa looked at her watch. They had an hour to get a run in.

“Are you wearing draperies?” he asked.

“What?” Clarissa laughed and looked at him. He was staring intensely at her shorts. “No. I just thought they were cute.”

Len rolled his eyes. “Hmm. Ready?”

Clarissa did a few body stretches. “Ready.”

They started out slowly. When they came to a street corner, he instructed, “Take a right here.”

She started to turn slightly. “Len…”

She stepped into his path accidently, tripping him. As he went down he rolled himself in a somersault and came back up, standing. “Jesus, Clare, you trying to do me in?”

“I’m sorry, Len. I was just going to ask you something.” They quickly picked up their pace for a few more blocks. She wanted to know when he would be going back to the states, but she was afraid of his answer, so she decided not to ask.

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Meet the Author

 

Constance started writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense fifteen years ago. She was born and raised in Michigan. After working for the State of Michigan for 38 years, she retired. She and her husband moved to Montana and lived in the mountainside of a small town,

There, locked in her office overlooking the mountains, was where this story, Operation Code Name: Desert Love, was written. After living in Montana for three years, they moved to Alabama with her cat, Sunny, who owns both her and her husband. Her hobbies include basket weaving, reading mafia romance books, diamond painting, and fiddling at the piano.

Constance's Website - Newsletter Sign Up ~ Twitter

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

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That's it for today. However, we'll be back tomorrow with another author, a great book, and a giveaway! Until then stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.

Nancy

DANCE TO A WYLDER BEAT by Author Marilyn Barr

 

Today I’m welcoming Author Marilyn Barr to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. She’s here to tell us a bit about her upcoming book, Dance to a Wylder Beat, from The Wild Rose Press.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

 

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

Dance to a Wylder Beat is a figment of my imagination. I dreamed of the main character, Nartan Sagebrush, after a staff meeting about the series. I’ve learned for a great book idea; I need to eat a plate full of cookies before going to sleep. Once I read about the Arapaho people, their beautiful leather goods, and their culture, he came to life. My next step was to interview my friends of Arapaho descent and take a non-mechanized leather tanning course. Within a few weeks, I felt I could temporarily step into Nartan’s leather boots.

 

If you could trade lives with any other writer, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I admire Terry Pratchett and aspire to write books as complex as his Discworld series. While unfortunately he is no longer with us and developed early-onset Alzheimer’s disease before his death at age 66, his brilliance lives on. His books are timeless while acting as a time capsule for the 1980s and 1990s at the same time. The magic is in the layers. I write these layers in my books and hope to master his technique someday.

Each book I must read three times in a row. The first time I enjoy the plot and characters’ banter. The second time I get the humor whether they are inside jokes about the series or jokes about the world events at the time the book was written. The third time I see the satire and lampooning of a group of people. I first noticed this third layer in his book, “Pyramids” where the people in the tiny pyramid were caricatures of the Hollywood elite. I had to start the series over again to find what I had been missing.

 

What has been the most unusual experience you’ve had that you have written into a book?

My most unusual experience is written in the follow-up novel to Dance to a Wylder Beat which is Sound of a Wylder Silence. My son and I go to Natural Allergy Elimination Therapy for food allergies. Our usual practitioner had an apprentice who took over our appointments a year ago. The apprentice had been previously certified in Reiki and Shamanic healing and promptly recommend those as options for my son’s anxiety. My son was nine years old at the time, had trouble sitting still, and had been through many failed anxiety remedies.

After some research, I decided to sign up for one of the apprentice’s spiritual healing sessions for two reasons. The first being to test it out for my son. Could he sit still? Would it scare him? The second was my childhood night terrors had returned and I was throwing myself down my stairs to leave my house in my sleep. The appointment was right out of a paranormal movie with all sorts of spooky, ghostly events. My healing journey is the one Ikshu Sagebrush (you meet him as Nartan’s brother in Dance to a Wylder Beat) takes to reclaim his voice. Now I am the apprentice to a Shamanic Practitioner and Reiki Master.

If you had to create a pseudonym for your work that poked fun at the genre in which you write, what would it be?

I, Marilee-Lou Were-Barr, love shifter romance with a western twist in Dance to a Wylder Beat.

 

About the Book

Nartan Sagebrush's name may mean "to dance" in Arapaho, but he dances in secret. Forced to abandon his Shamanic apprenticeship, he is overwhelmed with homesteader life, and even his spirit guides are at their wit's end. Nartan takes fate into his own hands. Instead of divine intervention, a wife will help with his responsibilities and in assimilating into the Wylder community. 

Olive Muegge answer's Nartan's "wife wanted" advertisement.  Wildly independent she has secretly dreamed of a family to call her own. The secret she carries inside makes her an outcast and her wild ways don't fit the quiet wife Nartan thinks he desires.

Despite their differences, they are drawn to each other but a mistake may drive them apart.  Will Nartan embrace his Shamanic past to save them both or will he choose to rid himself of Olive forever? 

 

Read an Excerpt

When I turn back, the men are wrestling in a cloud of dust. Dead Eyes’ friends hoot like owls while a small crowd gathers around the scene. Being half-drunk, Dead Eyes is two steps slower than Nartan, who is landing punches on both sides. When Dead Eyes slams his gun on the ground in surrender, the dust settles, and I can study my future husband.

Nartan’s muscular body straddles the smaller man while his broad chest billows. His hat has blown off in the scuffle, revealing two thick black braids adorned with feathers. Tendrils of raven-black hair wave around his head. “Quiet wife for a quiet life” my bloomin’ butt. This man is a sweet lick of passion wrapped in a delicious exterior. I think I’m gonna like being Mrs. Sagebrush just fine. I can handle an odd stick as long as he has the countenance of Nartan because I’m not as normal as I appear myself.

 

 About the Author

Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, published microbiologist, special education/inclusion science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, certified spiritual/energy healer, and advocate for the autistic community. This puts her in the position to bring tales containing heroes who are regular people with different ability levels and body types, in a light where they are powerful, lovable, and appreciated.

When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula. She is a sucker (haha) for cheesy horror movies, Italian food, punk music, black cats, bad puns, and all things witchy.

Marilyn's Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Profile ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub

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Please come back on Thursday and Friday for more authors, books, and a giveaway!

Nancy

 

ORANGE BLOSSOMS-LOVE BLOOMS by Author Dalia Dupris

 

Today we welcome Author Dalia Dupris to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Dalia is her to tell us all about her new book, Orange Blossoms-Love Blooms, from The Wild Rose Press.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Is the setting for your book real? If so, have you been there? If it’s fictitious, is there somewhere real that you’ve used as a model?

The setting of my book is a small town in Southern California. It is a fictional town.

Do you like to read in the genre in which you write? Or, are you adventurous?

I do read in the genre that I write, however, I read in other genres also.

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

My life is a fictional interpretation of real-life events.

About the Book

Strong-willed Elaine Hart is determined to save Hartland Ranch, her family's California orange groves. After the recent ending of a turbulent relationship, she vows to keep her professional and personal life separate, even though she's attracted to the man who holds her family's fate in the palm of his hands.

Serious-minded banker, David Cole, has two goals- collecting on the delinquent ranch account and resisting his attraction to the unpredictable and beautiful Elaine Cole.

When a series of circumstances brings them together, they must decide if they will continue to suppress their emotions or succumb to passion and take a chance on a forever love.

Amazon ~ Apple ~ B&N (Nook) ~ Kobo

Read an Excerpt

The last thing I need right now is to spend the night with David. With the undeniable attraction between the two of us, I know exactly what will happen. My vow to not mix work and my social life has completely gone haywire, because here I am sitting in the cozy intimacy of his car. Betsy is on the way to the mechanic’s garage and I’m stuck in a remote little town that I never knew existed until a week ago. On top of that I’m with the most magnetic man I’ve ever met, who manages to make me feel emotions that are simultaneously new, exciting and frightening.

“I’m okay with that.” He’s the kind of man that I can trust. It’s me I’m more worried about. If we are going to be in close proximity, I’m not certain that I can keep my hands to myself. “Do you have a two-bedroom apartment in Littleton?’ I try to sound nonchalant.

“No, I don’t.” He has a twinkle in his eyes. “I have a one bedroom.”

“Oh,” I sigh, resigned to the fact that this is going to be a super challenging weekend. “We’ll have to make the best of it then, won’t we?”

He throws his head back and lets out a deep, robust laugh.

 

Meet the Author

Dalia Dupris has always enjoyed reading and writing and grew up surrounded by a wide variety of books, from westerns to romance novels. She published her first short stories and poetry when she was eight years old in her local newspaper. She loves stories—watching them, listening to them, reading them, and writing them. Her emotion-driven, contemporary novels include complex and diverse characters that grapple with family, love, loss, and laughter as they face the challenges of life.

She has a BA in English Literature from UCLA and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Her experience as a licensed psychotherapist is instrumental in her ability to create relatable characters. When she’s not working on her next manuscript, she can be found bike riding along the beach with her husband or exploring the mysteries of the universe with her daughter.

Dalia's Website ~  Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub Author Page ~ Goodreads Author Page

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That's it for me today. Please come back all this week for more authors, books, and fun! Maybe even a giveaway or two!

Nancy

It's a Birthday Party! by Author Nancy Fraser

For a change ... it's not a Book Birthday. Instead, it's my REAL Birthday! Not that I intended to get a year older ... it just sort of happened...helter, skelter, willy, nilly.

It did get me thinking though. I've had far too many birthdays to acutally count but I was trying to decide which one was my favorite. Then I thought ... why not ask some of my wonderful author friends to tell me about their favorite birthdays. A celebration of sorts!

From Author Caroline Clemmons:

My most exciting birthday was part of a long-time dream. My husband and I took a three-week tour of Ireland, Scotland, England, and the tip of Wales. We’d taken shorter tours, but saw new things on this one. I could have stayed much longer. In fact, we had planned one day to return and rent a cottage in Ireland for a month to use as a base while we traveled to places not included on our tours. We’d love to go back, but both our health restrictions will prevent that happening. I’m grateful we were able to travel to these places when we did. What a great birthday! What great memories we made!

From Author Kara O'Neal:

My favorite party was pretty recent. I got to spend the weekend in a beach house in Galveston with all my sisties! (Sisties is a term I made up. It's combination of bestie and sister.) We ate, laughed, talked, shopped and spent time at the beach. It was amazing!

 

From proof-reader extraordinaire, Author Kathleen Lawless:

The weather in the Pacific Northwest is always terrible on my November birthday.  All requests at my day job for vacation during the last quarter of the year were denied.  A few years ago I went from working full time to writing full time and made up for a lifetime of soggy, cold birthdays by celebrating with my sweetie at an adult-only, all-inclusive resort on Antigua with a villa, a private pool for skinny dipping and miles of private beach.  On my birthday, Steel bribed the kitchen staff to cook us lobster and set up a private dining area on the deck, overlooking the ocean and illuminated with tiki torches.

 

From our new Gem of an Author M J Schiller:

SURPRISE! ~ On my 50th, my parents came up and took us to dinner to celebrate. I thought maybe a surprise party would happen there, but when it didn’t, I put it out of my mind. My parents then “left” the next day. My best friend wanted to go out and have a birthday drink. Another girlfriend told me she was at a bar for a going away party for a neighbor, and we should meet her. When we got there, my bestie opened the door to this private area. Since she’s not exactly known for her rule following, I thought nothing of it. I saw my parents first, then my little sister and her husband, who drove 4 ½ hours to be there. Then I was like, ooh, the neighbors are here! Ooh, friends from church! And the best thing was, my boys, who were away at college, drove all the way in, arriving late to surprise me again. It was awesome.

I’ll never forget it.

And, as for My Favorite Birthday:

I’d have to say it was my forty-seventh. Up to that point, I’d never had a birthday party. Both my parents worked when I was a child, so there never seemed to be any time for planning and execution. Never one when I was older and married. However, the year after my divorce, my girlfriends planned a surprise party for me at my favorite restaurant.

Of course, there is one planned for later today with my sons, daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren that just might top it!

 

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Thanks so much to my fellow authors/friends for helping my cyber-celebrate. I will be back all this week with more author guests, great books, and a lot of fun!

Nancy

THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE by Helen C. Johannes

 

Today welcome Author Helen C. Johannes to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart to talk about her new book, The Prince of Val-Feyridge from The Wild Rose Press. But first, a few nosey questions!

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

I write fantasy romance in a medieval-type setting. Therefore, everything I write is a figment of my imagination. However, all of it is rooted in a lifetime of reading, studying, traveling, teaching, and living in various places and through various experiences. My warriors spring from a love of history and experience as a military brat. My broken kingdom is inspired by the real-life divisions I see in countries around the world, past and present. When you’re always the stranger in a new school or workplace, you see and experience prejudice from the outside, which is vastly different from growing up alongside it. I gave each of my lead characters an opportunity to be the stranger. That way they could learn to look beyond their preconceived notions about “the other” and discover each other’s basic humanity. A warrior and a healer are about as opposite as one can get, but love can grow out of respect, trust and a shared sense of honor.

 

Do you like to read in the genre in which you write? Or are you adventurous?

My go-to books-to-read combine romance and suspense in any time period or genre. That race-against-the-clock combined with the sizzle of unexpected or inconvenient love is catnip to me. Hence, my Goodreads booklist hits everything from rom-com chick-lit to sci-fi mystery to middle grade fantasy to old-school classical mystery with a few literary giants in between: Krentz, Tolkien, Riordan, JK Rowling, N Roberts, Christie, Sayers, Penny, Shakespeare, SE Phillips, M Wells, D Jones, to name a few.

 

If you listen to music while you write, what are the top three songs on your playlist?

Since words interfere with my concentration, I listen to primary instrumentals or Celtic music. My go-to musicians are Enya and Loreena McKinnett. I also have the soundtracks to Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean on my playlist. Something rousing for the action scenes.

 

About the Book

She’s all wrong for Prince Arn, this lowborn healer who keeps meddling in his march to conquer her homeland. If only she hadn’t helped him, and he hadn’t kissed her, he could stop looking for her everywhere, hoping to find her…again.

Prince Arn has a destiny—an ancient throne—but he’s not waiting for fate to deliver when he can act now, before his enemies organize against him. The healer Aerid longs for her barely remembered homeland. Marked out by her gift and her unusual looks, she insists she is no witch.

The swordsman Naed hopes to honorably defend his uncle’s holding, but he harbors a secret fascination for the exotic healer. Prince Arn’s campaign against Aerid’s homeland throws them into a triangle of forbidden love, betrayal, and heartbreak. Only when they realize love is blood-kin to friendship, and neither is possible without risk, can they forge a new alliance and restore a kingdom.

The book is on sale for 99¢ at Amazon ~ B&N (Nook) ~ Google Books

Read an Excerpt

“Tell me, witch, and tell me true—does Krenin know who you are or who you pretend to be?”

The question itself startled Aerid, not its harshness, for she had expected that. Twisting her head, she caught a glimpse of eyes like coals in a face dark and set.

“I—I think not, m’lord. ‘Twas dark and—”

“Then you’ll do nothing to enlighten him. Hear?”

She heard him clearly despite water-song and hoof splashes. She understood, too, what underlay his warning. He wanted no one to know that he, the exalted and invincible Prince of Val-Feyridge, had been tricked—trapped—into sparing the life of an Adanak—and a woman!—only to cover the fact he and all his army had been duped into believing—for weeks!—that she was a boy, and a D’nalian. Oh, he had chosen well the moment for his question, Aerid thought, a rush of indignation beating back her shivers.

“Aye, m’lord, ‘tis safe with me, your secret.”

 

Meet the Author

Helen C. Johannes writes award-winning fantasy romance inspired by the fairy tales she grew up reading and the amazing historical places she’s visited in England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany.

She writes tales of adventure and romance in fully realized worlds sprung from pure imagination and a lifelong interest in history, culture, and literature. Warriors on horseback, women who refuse to sit idly at home, and passion that cannot be denied or outrun—that’s what readers will find in her books.

Helen's Blog ~ Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

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The end of another wonderful week of authors, books, giveaways and fun! Please come back again next week for read, write, and repeat!

Nancy

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MAGIC by Author Tena Stetler

Today we welcome friend and author, Tena Stetler to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart to talk about her book, Chocolate Raspberry Magic, part of The Wild Rose Press' One Scoop or Two series. As usual, I’m being nosey and asking questions of my guest.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

Some real life experience. Wildlife Rescue has always been one of my passions. I’ve been involved with several rescues and sanctuaries for wildlife, parrots, and all kinds of needy animals.

Some is a figment of my imagination. Like the cabin in the story and its secrets and abilities. That stems from a desire to have gourmet meals and a clean house. LOL

Is the setting for your book real? If so, have you been there? If it’s fictitious, is there somewhere real that you’ve used as a model?

Setting is purely fictional, but based on rescues that I have been involved with. Animal rescue is a difficult vocation for those with a soft heart.  Yep, I’d be one of those people. Probably the reason I abandoned my desire to become a veterinarian early on. LOL But the difficult moments are offset by all the good that happens in rescues.

 

What has been the most unusual experience you’ve had that you have written into a book?

We go camping a lot during the spring, summer and fall. It was during this time that we visited cabins built during the gold rush on Independent Pass in Colorado.  Obviously, the prospectors had no idea what the living conditions would be at 12,095 feet in elevation and abandoned the settlement.  However, while we were investigating these cabins, I walked around the back side of one and a whole scene played out in my mind. The longer I stood there, the more characters played out scenes. Then they faded away as quickly as they appeared.  I rushed to our truck and wrote down all I could remember (Always have a pad and pen with me).  I did return to the same spot, but nothing.  My book, Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement was born out of that experience.

 

Do you like to read in the genre in which you write? Or, are you adventurous?

I do read Paranormal Romance.  Also read a wide variety of other genres, the only thing I don’t read is Horror.  With my over active imagination, I create nightmares for myself that keep me up all night. Then my hubby hates when I leave all the lights on in the house at night to make sure none of those nightmares come to life. Silly I know, but…

 

About the Book

Prim and proper Trinity Shiloh is the assistant manager for Salem's Wildlife Sanctuary. She hasn't had much luck in the boyfriend department, but the new employee Paul is different. Deep and brooding she sees something special hidden below the surface. Besides she has secrets of her own.

Paul Thorp is a wounded Special Forces veteran now working in security and computer support. He's fought hard to keep his demons in check and for the first time feels he is ready for a real relationship.

When a fire breaks out at Puffin Cove Rescue, they are called in to help with the recovery and ice cream social fundraiser. Sometimes things are not what they seem, and neither are people. When magic is unleashed, will what they learn bring them closer together or push them apart?

Available on Your Favorite Platform

Read an Excerpt

As Trinity walked through the aftermath of the fire, she lifted the yellow and black caution tape and carefully stepped inside the building. Her gut clenched and that feeling of foreboding washed over her again. The farther she ventured into the burnt building the stronger the gut-wrenching feeling became. Something needs my help. This was a new sensation. She took a small flashlight out of her backpack, directed the beam over the scorched debris, and moved the rubble with her toe. Nothing.

One more sweep of the light and she’d return to the others. Probably not supposed to be here anyway. A weak squawk emanated from the far corner of the building. Picking up a scorched stick, she poked at the debris. A puff of smoke rose as she made her way to where the sound came from. Shining the light into the corner, she saw movement. She knelt down and carefully shifted the charred rubble. Laying on its side, head slightly raised, and using a wing in an attempt to right itself was a small parrot. Its little eyes locked on her for a moment before its head lowered to the ground.

Frantically, she glanced around, but there was no one in sight. How far had she ventured without telling anyone? The structure overhead groaned in warning. No time. “Okay little one, it’s you and me. I don’t have much experience at this, but I’ll do my best.” Shrugging out of her backpack, she unzipped it completely. “I’m going to scoop you up in my backpack and get help.” She didn’t raise her voice to call for help for fear of scaring the poor thing.

Clearing as much debris away from the bird as possible, she scooped up the parrot in her bag. Slowly she stood, so as not to jostle the little creature. Holding the bag gently against her chest, she picked her way across the downed wooden braces, charred remnants of cabinetry, and broken glass.

Meet the Author

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance with an over-active imagination.  She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends.

Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.

Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Tena's Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads 

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Nancy