A LITTLE BIT OF LUST by Author Shirley Goldberg **Review Tour** **Goddess Fish Promotions**

Notes from a Romantic's Heart is pleased to welcome back author Shirley Goldberg. Today we'll be taking a look at Shirley's new romantic comedy, A Little Bit of Lust, book 3 of her Starting Over series. You can find all the stops on Shirley's tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Also, don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win a $30 gift card. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.

GENRE: Romantic Women's Fiction

Love-cynical Lucy Bernard delights in her independence. Baking, all things Instagram, the occasional fling, and most of all hanging out with best friends Deon Goldbloom and Phoebe Karis. But when Deon kisses Lucy at the beach on a chilly afternoon, the two friends jump into a lust-filled romantic weekend. So what’s with slotting her into "ignore" status afterward? Too embarrassed to confide in Phoebe, she silently buries the humiliation.

Deon Goldbloom is a widower who can’t move on after his wife's death. Is he a little crazy spending a sexy few days with Lucy and calling it the best time he’s had in four years? Yeah. Except blue Monday comes calling, and Deon isn’t ready for the guilt.

Lucy wonders how a smoochy weekend turns into a friends-with-benefits disaster. And Deon wonders if he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. Using all his nerdy charms, he launches a campaign to bring Lucy around. Maybe they can chart a course back to one another if Lucy will only forgive him.

Pre-Order on Amazon for December 7th delivery.

Also available on Apple and B&N

Deon and Lucy wandered through the store to the missy department, jammed with displays and sale racks. What to wear on her Marcus date? A dress or jeans? She could use Deon’s advice, but something told her he was in no mood for anything Marcus.

He stopped at a rounder of sleeveless, scoop neck tops in jewel colors. “Pink.” He chose a top from the rack. “This is you.”

She held it against her chest. “Good color for me?”

“That guy Steve was totally flirting.”

“You think? Should I go for it?” Casual tone with an ah-hah on the inside. Her spine tingled realizing Deon noticed their flirtation. And he was irked. He had no right. She’s the one who should be irked.

“Depends.” He frowned. “He’s an actor. How long’s he in town for?” His hand scraped his cheek. “I know you’re pissed at me. Ever since that weekend––”

“Me?” She flipped the price tag on the pink top and her eyebrows shot up in exaggerated surprise. Pissed at Deon? Sure, but she wouldn’t admit it, not to him. “You have good taste.”

“I’m sorry about––”

“Expensive good taste.” Whatever Deon felt he needed to say, she wasn’t revisiting old wounds.

“Lucy, don’t make me come over there.” An attempt at humor, followed by a hangdog look of regret. “Look, I want to talk to you about…can we talk later? At dinner?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t we? We always talk at dinner.”

“You maintain price is no object,” Deon teased, deftly dropping the subject. “A good fit is everything, right?” He moved closer and cupped her chin. “I’m dead serious. About talking.”

She twisted away. So this is how he wants to play it. Seriously, a talk? After the Ignore thing, what more could he possibly say? She wasn’t sure she wanted dinner with Deon after all. “Did I say price is no object?” She pulled out a short black dress and danced it on the hanger. “This is cute.”

“Nice. You don’t wear much black. Try it on,” he urged. “Try them both on.”

In the dressing room, Lucy smiled in the mirror. Deon was acting ultra nice, like he had an agenda. Weird. Close dancing at O’Donahue’s and those long looks she’d caught him giving her in her kitchen a week ago. Mixed messages, definitely.

The pink top showed off her shoulders. At $118.00, it was no bargain, but why did everything have to be on sale? She wasn’t her mother, the ultimate bargain shopper. She wanted this sexy little top so Deon could picture her in it later. With Marcus.

The pink top has punctum.

The word came back to her, a surprise. Punctum, the word Deon used a while ago on the beach while they were taking photos. When he’d kissed her for the first time.

☆☆4 Stars☆☆

As with all the Shirley Goldberg books I've read, A Little Bit of Lust, had me laughing out loud. A wonderfully written story of friendship, discovery, and reinvention. I loved the relationship between Lucy, Deon, and Phoebe. It was fun, open, and (eventually) once Deon fessed up to his true feelings, honest.

I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers romances, and this one definitely didn't disappoint. The banter between the main characters is witty and believeable, as is both their reluctance to take their friendship to the next level. All in all, a fun story that will please any fan of romantic women's fiction.

Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website offers a humorous look into dating in mid-life, and her friends like to guess which stories are true. A Little Bit of Lust is her third book in the series Starting Over, although all her books are standalone. Her character believes you should never leave home without your sense of humor and Shirley agrees.

Shirley's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

Shirley Goldberg will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thank you for stopping by!

Nancy

FILM BLUE by Author Patricia Leavy **Goddess Fish Promotions** *Blurb Blitz*

Welcome to Notes From a Romantic's Heart. Today, we'll be featuring Film Blue, by Author Patricia Leavy. You can find all the stops on Patricia's tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. The author is giving away a $10 gift card via Rafflecopter to one lucky winner. You can find the entry form at the bottom of this post.

Reminiscent of Sex and the City meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Patricia Leavy’s Film Blue is a captivating and inspiring story about the pursuit of dreams and what it truly means to live a “big” life.

A couple of years after finishing college, Tash Daniels has put her love of filmmaking on the back burner. She’s working retail, club-hopping, and scraping by to pay the rent. Usually attracted to the wrong guy, she’s at a loss when she finally falls for the right one. Sexy deejay Aidan is living his life authentically as an artist and encourages her to do the same. Will she open her heart? Will she bet on herself and her dreams? Is a girl with a dream truly on her own in the world? Tash’s friends are along for the journey: Jason Woo, lighthearted model on the rise; Penelope Waters, earnest graduate student with a secret no one suspects; Lu K, fiercely independent hot-girl deejay; and Monroe Preston, the glamorous wife of a Hollywood studio head.

Frequently bathed in the glow of the silver screen, the characters show us how the arts can reignite the light within, pushing us to confront our fears so we can choose how to live in the present. Film Blue is a novel about following our passions, the hidden side of our dreams, the power of art, what it means to truly live a “big” life, and finding the people to go with us on our journey.

A tribute to 1980s pop culture set against the backdrop of contemporary New York and Los Angeles, Film Blue celebrates how the art we experience and make can shape our stories, frame by frame.

Available on Amazon

Also available in Paperback

Monroe slipped on her favorite gray silk nightgown and matching robe, and tied the sash around her waist. She opened her nightstand drawer and retrieved the unopened prescription bottle. Sitting on the edge of her bed and rolling the bottle in her hand, it occurred to her that she felt no emotion whatsoever. No sadness, or despair, or grief held her hand. Exhaustion was her only companion. She was done. After moving the bottle from one hand to the other, over and over again, she tucked it into her pocket. She got up and wandered through her house until she found Bill in his office, hunched over the desk.

“It’s so late, darling. Why don’t you come to bed?” she asked.

“I’ll be there soon enough. I have to get through these papers first,” he replied, gesturing to the stack on his desk.

“Good night, Bill. I love you. Truly, I do,” Monroe said, before gently shutting the door behind her.

She bumped into Henry on her way back to her bedroom.

“Good night, Henry,” she said softly.

“Good night, Mrs. Preston. Oh, I forgot to tell you that Miss Daniels left her short film here yesterday. She said you had asked to see it.”

“Oh, that’s right. I did promise her,” she mumbled to herself. Then she refocused on Henry. “Maybe I’ll watch it now. I know it’s late, but would you mind putting it on for me in the screening room?"

“Certainly, ma’am,” he replied.

Monroe settled into one of the raspberry-colored velvet seats in their lavish private screening room. Henry switched the lights off as the film began. Light from the screen flickered on Monroe’s face as the opening credits rolled. Shot in black and white, the camera zoomed in on two young people on a city rooftop in the middle of the night. They were laughing and running across the roof, bits of paper swept up in the breeze. A burst of hot pink leapt off the screen, followed by eruptions of turquoise and purple. Monroe leaned closer. The corners of her mouth trembled and a smile began to crawl across her face. She leaned closer and let the glow from the screen wash over her. Her smile morphed into laughter and tears flooded her eyes. As her smile grew and her laughter became louder, the tears flowed harder. Her face was drenched by the time the closing credits rolled. She sat, soaking in a feeling she couldn’t quite name, a feeling she knew was connected to life itself.

Henry returned and flipped the lights on. “Shall I close the room for you before I retire to bed?” he asked.

She wiped her face with her palms and turned to face him. “No. Henry, please get Bill right away. Tell him there’s something he must see.”

Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a bestselling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chair of Sociology and Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has published over forty books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. Patricia has received dozens of accolades for her books.

Recently, her romance collection Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels was the 2022 Firebird Awards first-place winner for Romance. The book also received 2022 International Impact Book Awards for Women’s Fiction and Romance, a 2022 NYC Big Book Award for Distinguished Favorite Anthology, and a 2022 Literary Titan Gold Book Award for Fiction. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association.

In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” She lives in Maine with her husband, daughter (when she’s not away at college), and her dog. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling.

Patricia Leavy's Website

Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thank you so much for stopping by. Please come back again soon.

Nancy

A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: AIDEN by Author Peggy Jaeger **BOOK BIRTHDAY**

Woo hoo! Notes From a Romantics Heart is overjoyed to help Author Peggy Jaeger celebrate a second Book Birthday this month! Her new release, A Pride of Brothers: AIDEN, is Book 2 in the Pride of Brothers Series from The Wild Rose Press. Welcome to the celebration!

Genre: Romantic Suspense ~ Women’s Fiction ~ Contemporary Romance

About the Book

Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister's death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn't believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn't know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.

Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.

When their investigation puts Lexi's life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.

Find A Pride of Brothers: AIDEN At Your Favorite Retailer

Enjoy an Excerpt

(Nancy's Note: Steamy Rated Excerpt ~ Fair Warning!)

“Re-researchers have identified anywhere from thirty-one to for-forty different erogenous zones on the human body, any of which, when touched, can stimulate a sexual re-response. The back of the kn-knee is a particularly sensitive spot on women.”

Just when she’d thought she’d gotten a cap on her damn trivia-Tourette’s, it bloomed again, this time accompanied by a ridiculous stutter.

Get a grip, Alexis.

“Let’s see how many we can find on you,” he whispered against her thigh. The warmth of his breath across her skin had her back arching. “Ah, there’s another,” he said in response to her gasp. “And another,” he added when he moved higher.

Even knowing levitation wasn’t a real thing, Lexi swore her body rose from the bed with each touch of his mouth on her skin.

“And we already know this is one.” He slid his hands under her ass and pressed a kiss on top of her panty, over her labia. Her eyes slammed shut. He nuzzled his nose along the length of her before pushing the fabric out of his way and swiping his tongue across her clitoris.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus.

“You doin’ okay, there?”

“Fine,” she managed to choke out.”

Watch the Trailer

Meet the Author

Peggy Jaeger writes contemporary romances and rom coms about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all aspects of life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness, and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go "What??!"

Peggy's Website/Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Pinterest ~ Triberr ~ Author's Database ~  BookBub ~ LinkedIn

Goodreads ~ Amazon Author Page ~ YouTube

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As always, it’s been a pleasure hosting Peggy for release day celebrations. Come back all week for more books, authors, and giveaways! Don’t forget to scroll back through all the post from September. There may be some giveaways hiding there too!

Nancy

BALANCE by Author Peggy Jaeger **BOOK BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION**

As always, Notes From a Romantic’s Heart is pleased to welcome good friend and author, Peggy Jaeger, to the blog! Today we’re celebrating a Book Birthday for Peggy’s new release, Balance.

Genres: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Military Spouse, NYC Romance

About the Book

She’s a wealthy socialite who survived an abusive marriage.

He’s a hardworking guy raising his son and caring for his widowed father.
They come from different worlds, but it’s said…opposites attract.
Can they find the balance between their two lifestyles to make their love work?
Or will their differences tear them apart?
Life and love are a balancing act.

Find Balance at your Favorite Retailer

Enjoy an Excerpt

Joe enveloped me in a full body hug, told me he enjoyed meeting and chatting with me, then made me promise I wouldn’t be “a stranger.” I assured him I wouldn’t.

Once we were outside the building, Derek said, “He liked you.”

Cockily, I replied, “Of course he did. What’s not to like?”

He grinned, said, “Not a damn thing,” then swooped me into his arms and pulled me against him. “I wanted to do this in the kitchen but…David.” He shook his head.

I had a pretty good idea what he meant, but asked anyway, “Do what?” while I leaned into his hard body and wrapped my hands around his waist.

With the half grin that made me lose the will to stand upright, he nuzzled the side of my nose with his own. “This.”

Soft and sweet, a simple swipe of his mouth against mine, the kiss was as chaste as could be.

Why I went numb from my knees downward was inexplicable, then. My grip around his waist tightened as I fell into his body for support to keep upright.

A deep moan welled up from him, a soul-tugging sigh with it, and he deepened the kiss as he dipped me backward over his arm.

I held on for dear life.

Okay, that, and because he felt so damn good. I’d have been a fool not to enjoy all the hard, lean muscle pressing against me now, wouldn’t I?

Mr. and Mrs. Doubletree of the Manhattan Doubletrees didn’t raise a fool.

“I’ve wanted to do this,” he whispered against my cheek, “ever since that day at the women’s center.”

I shifted until his lips were against my temple. “Why?”

“You mean aside from the way my heart rate kicks up whenever I look at you?”

Pleasure rippled through me.

“When you told me about being recently divorced you looked so…lost and fragile.”

A caustic laugh barked from me. “Two words no one has ever used to describe me are lost and fragile.”

He pulled back and cupped my cheeks. Kindness filled his eyes and I got lost in them. “I think you do a good job of hiding it, but you’ve been hurt. Deeply hurt.”

I rolled a shoulder. “No divorce is ever really amicable.”

Especially when your testimony puts your ex behind bars.

“Some hurt is expected,” I added.

He nodded. “All I wanted to do was pull you into my arms and kiss all the bad stuff away.”

For some reason I didn’t want him to know how his words touched me. My experience with my ex-husband had made me hyper-cautious and unwilling to share any weakness for fear it would be exploited. So, I fell back on past behavior and gave him an old, snarky Phil response to mask the emotions running rampant through me.

“I think that’s your medical brain talking. You see someone you think is hurting and you want to heal them, kiss it and make it all better.”

His grin grew slowly from one cheek to the other and I swear on Grannie Charlotte’s forty-inch string pearls I never wanted to look away.

“Well, the kissing part is true,” he said, bussing the tip of my nose. “But the reason behind it has nothing to do with the medical part of my brain. It has nothing to do with any part of my…brain.”

Proof of that was pressing against my abdomen.


Add Balance to you Goodreads WANT TO READ Page
Add Balance to your BOOKBUB Reviews

Watch the Trailer

Meet the Author

Peggy Jaeger writes contemporary romances and rom coms about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all aspects of life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness, and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go "What??!"

Peggy's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ Bookbub ~ Goodreads ~ YouTube Channel

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Thank you so much for stopping by today. Please come back again tomorrow and all next week for more authors, books, and giveaways!

Nancy

SWORN TO FLY by Author Maria Imbalzano **Review** **Giveaway**

Notes From a Romantic’s Heart is pleased to welcome author Maria Imbalzano to the blog. Today we’re featuring her new book, Sworn to Fly. You can find all of the stops on this tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter drawing for your chance to win a $20 gift card. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

 

About the Book

 

Risk-averse ER nurse, Alyssa Beckman, is about to lose her job because of yet another bad decision. In order to put her life back on track, she books a week at a rustic mountain resort to ponder her next steps and rejuvenate. But when she arrives, she learns she’s enrolled in boot camp, an adventure program far out of her comfort zone.

While there, she meets Gabriel Sutton, a world-travelling high fashion photographer who is in danger of losing his clients as well as his status if he doesn’t start following the rules.  While hiking, kayak racing, and participating in team challenges, sparks fly between Alyssa and Gabe as they encourage each other to take different life paths. But will those paths lead them farther apart or bring them closer together? 

 

Enjoy an Excerpt

 

“Why so quiet?” he asked after a while.

“I’m meditating.”

“Really?”

She laughed—a welcome sound. “No. I didn’t take the class yet. I thought I’d just let you do your thing.”

“I can do my thing while talking.” He pointed his camera in her direction and took a photo.

“Can you please give me some warning when you’re going to do that? I can see my request that you not take my picture has fallen on deaf ears, so you can at least give me a heads-up.” She pulled a stemmy reed from her hair.

“Sorry. Can’t do. That’s not the way I work. I like candid shots when the subject isn’t prepared. They’re the best.”

“So I’m a subject now?”

Gabe headed over and sat down beside her, his leg touching hers. A shock wave coursed through him. He inhaled slowly, trying to take back control. When her arm brushed against his, the wave vied with sparks and heat.

Russet eyes held his for only a moment before she disconnected.

He cleared his throat, hoping to clear his head. “You’re an amazing subject. The photos I took of you yesterday on our little walk were so natural. The intensity of your eyes when you were helping Missy, the sympathy on your face, even though you were the ultimate professional—portrayed a nurse in action, helping a patient. Beautiful.”

My Review

4-Sky High Stars

 

Who doesn’t know someone like the heroine, Alyssa? Smart, dedicated, but a tad on the cautious side. When her career is in flux, Alyssa decides to take a much-needed vacation, despite her aversion to travel. Instead of a relaxing break, she’s thrown into chaos of the less-than-cautious kind.

Gabriel Sutton is her exact opposite, daring almost to the point of alienating people His character reminded me of those perfume commercials where the hero’s about to get the girl and then she rides off into the sunset without him. Not that there’s anything wrong with the analogy.

To be honest, I was expecting more romance that what I got. Which, isn’t a bad thing. I had to take a step back and analyze the book from the bigger perspective of women’s fiction. While I enjoyed Gabe’s interaction with Alyssa, I didn’t warn to her as much as I would have liked. However, that’s probably more me than it was her. I wanted her to be more assertive than she was. That doesn’t take away from her character, it just changes her.

If you’re a fan of women’s fiction with a healthy dose of romantic scenes, you’ll enjoy this book.

Meet the Author

 

Maria Imbalzano is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.

Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award.

Maria's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Newsletter Sign Up

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

 

Enter the Giveaway

 

Maria Imbalzano will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It’s been my pleasuring hosting Maria today. Please come back again tomorrow for another author, another book, and another #Giveaway.

Nancy