Showing posts with label #CleanRomanceXmas21. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #CleanRomanceXmas21. Show all posts

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Clean Romance for Christmas: Grand Finale

On tour with Prism Book Tours
 
We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops, you can
see snippets and the link to each full post, as well as the giveaway below . . .
 
December 7th: Launch


December 8th: Nancy Campbell Allen - The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target 

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
Et voila! A new Victorian series was born, featuring three cousins who live in London and are determined to become modern Women of Independent Means. My books almost always feature a healthy dose of mystery along with the romance, and I believe people who have enjoyed my work in the past will not be disappointed here!
 
December 9th: Rachael Anderson - Five Kisses


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):
 
The dark-haired man pushed away from the bookcase and pointed to the shelf above her head. “I’m guessing you used the stack of bibles as a stool to reach this shelf here.” He patted the place where Frankenstein once stood. “Is there a book I can get for you so you can climb down from your perch? People are beginning to stare, and I doubt the proprietress would appreciate seeing any book, especially a bible, being used as a stool.” 
 

December 10th: Sarah M. Eden - The Merchant and the Rogue


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target 

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
I set this story, a mystery filled with creepy scenery and disconcerting characters, in the real-life Museum of Natural History in Dublin, Ireland. This museum was opened in 1856 in a stately Dublin building, and very little about it has changed since. It is often described as “a museum of a museum.” Walking through this piece of Dublin history is like stepping back in time. And it is one of the most wonderfully creepy places I have ever had the joy of visiting.
 

December 11th: Arlem Hawks - Georgana's Secret


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target 

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):
 
She wiped the moisture from her eyes and watched the bright moon above them. He
ignored the moon and the way it tripped across the waves. Tonight he forgot the ocean. He
watched her.
 
His heart pounded between his ribs, and he nearly let it push him forward to kiss that
contented smile. How would it feel to have Georgana Woodall’s soft lips caressing his own? To
be wanted by someone like her would be a wondrous thing.


December 12th: Jess Heileman - The Nabob's Daughter


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):
 
My palms were clammy within my gloves, and I mindlessly rubbed them against my middle. Did I truly have the tenacity to enact such a preposterous scheme? It wasn’t too late to simply comply with Papa’s demands and marry Lord Denhurst’s son. I wavered between two seemingly detestable options. Then an image of India filled my mind’s eye. If I abandoned my plan now, I would likely never see my home again. Once Papa was in England, he would see me married, just as he said he would. That would not do. No, I needed to convince Lord Denhurst to revoke his offer, thus adhering to Papa’s admonition that I would not make him break his word, and to be on my way home before Papa arrived.  


December 13th: Krista Jensen - Miracle Creek Christmas


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
Miracle Creek Christmas was originally titled, "Hold on Forever" after the song by Rob Thomas, who I adore. The song so perfectly expresses the way Riley and Mark come to feel about each other--"Lay down all your troubles end to end, they could reach up to the stars. So many roads, you don't know where you've been, but you still know who you are . . . Just fall apart if you need to. I'm here and I won't leave you now. Don't look down. Hold on forever..." Such a great song for these two.  


December 14th: Jen Geigle Johnson - A Christmas Kiss


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):
 
Evaline carefully wrapped a black band around her arm. “Remy, could you help me tie it tight enough that it will stay?”
“Certainly, my lady.” Her loyal lady’s maid cinched it and applied a pin at the back for good measure.
“Excellent. Mother deserves longer than the small three hundred and sixty five days of mourning no matter what Father or Aunt say.”
 

December 15th: Josi S. Kilpack - Love and Lavender


Follow the Author: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
Josi's Top 10 Christmas list, in very particular order:

10. The Christmas Season
9. Singing Christmas songs at church
8. Wrapping presents
7. October 15th, when I buy all the presents online . . .
 

December 16th: Carla Laureano - Discovered by Love series


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
Romance novellas are short and sweet, and they focus exclusively on the falling-in-love butterflies between the main couple, without much distraction from outside plot or secondary characters. Setting adds a necessary texture and interest to an otherwise straightforward story, and it can either act as a main feature in the couple’s burgeoning romance or as a source of conflict that threaten their happiness. So with that kind of importance in the story, why not make it a great one? 
 

December 17th: Sarah L. McConkie - Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub | LinkTree

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
This book is a retelling of A Christmas Carol. Most of the character's names are some kind of spin-off of the original, or found somewhere in the book. It was fun figuring out a way to make past, present, and future work through letters and not ghosts!
 

December 18th: Carol Ross - His Hometown Yuletide Vow


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | BookBub

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):
 
“I didn’t even know you were participating in the auction until I saw the program tonight. Before I could find you myself, a friend introduced me to Todd, and Todd asked if I’d be willing to meet you...” Derrick’s mouth pulled up on one side like he was trying not to smile. He was all boyish innocence and every bit as appealing as Anne remembered as he added, “He, uh, he actually asked me if I’d flirt with you a little.”

Anne choked out a surprised laugh. “Thank you for sparing us both that awkwardness.”

Grinning, he assured her, “It wouldn’t be awkward for me.”
 

December 19th: Nichole Van - Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub | Pinterest

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):
 
“Dinnae mock a fine kilt, Peter. The kilt swish is no’ tae be underestimated.”
“The kilt swish?” Lady Jane’s tone dripped with scorn.
“It’s a well-known fact that the lasses appreciate watching a man’s passion pleats swish as he walks.”
“Particularly from the backside,” Kieran helpfully clarified.
 

December 20th: Anneka R. Walker - Brides and Brothers


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub | Pinterest

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):
 
It didn’t bode well if thoughts of dating again had distracted him to the point of nearly burning down his house. While he loved living in a bachelor pad with his brothers, a guy could only live off frozen food for so many years before he cracked. If getting married could change this, dating might be worth it. With a sigh of disgust, he rinsed the charred hot pad under water. He let it drip dry before he opened the drawer next to the oven and threw it in. 
 

December 21st: Camron Wright - Christmas by Accident


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
In the story I pay subtle homage to many Christmas classics, perhaps borrowing a line of dialogue from one or including an obscure quotation from another. While some references are obvious, others are subtle. A fun game as you read is to see how many you can find.
 

December 22nd: Julie Wright - A Captain for Caroline Gray


Follow the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub | Amazon
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target 

Snippet from the Guest Post (find the full post here):
 
Women really did cross oceans to finds husbands. They were called the Fishing Fleet women. The Fishing Fleet began at the end of the seventeenth century when the East India Company began shipping women from England to India to marry their officers. The title of “Fishing Fleet women” is used as an insult as it was used to refer to women who had to go out “fishing” for husbands.


Tour Giveaway



One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon E-Gift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 29, 2021



  
Grab Our Button!

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Clean Romance for Christmas: A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

A Captain for Caroline Gray
By Julie Wright

Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 291 Pages
March 2, 2021 by Shadow Mountain

Caroline Gray would rather be daring and intelligent than demure and insipid, which is why she is still unmatched after her third season in London. Her family’s threadbare finances leave Caroline with only one choice to secure her future: sail with the Fishing Fleet to India, where the son of a family friend is willing to consider an engagement to her.

Captain Thomas Scott loves the open sea as much as he despises the three-month, twice-yearly trip his ship makes as he ferries young English girls across the ocean. He can’t imagine what family would allow an innocent young woman to be matched up with the Englishmen of questionable reputation who work and live in India.

But when Miss Gray boards the HMS Persistence, all of Captain Scott’s plans are upended. Miss Gray’s fiery spirit can’t be contained, and he is shocked and secretly delighted at her boldness—and her beauty. But the rest of his passengers aren’t so kind.

Caroline finds herself an outcast among her peers, but Captain Scott becomes an unlikely ally. They share the same passions and interests, creating an undeniable attraction. But they both know any relationship between them is impossible. After all, Caroline has obligations to fulfill in India.

Caroline has until the end of the voyage to decide if she is going to marry a man she has never met or be brave enough to love a sea captain who just might break her heart.

(Affiliate links included.)


Guest Post: 7 Random Facts on Research, Characters, Plot and Author


1. Women really did cross oceans to finds husbands. They were called the Fishing Fleet women. The Fishing Fleet began at the end of the seventeenth century when the East India Company began shipping women from England to India to marry their officers. The title of “Fishing Fleet women” is used as an insult as it was used to refer to women who had to go out “fishing” for husbands. By the time of this fictional setting of 1820, the East India Company had removed itself from the business of finding husbands for their officers, but women still made the journey when their prospects at home were slim. There is a lot to admire about a woman with the courage to leave home and country to find her future in a distant land.

2. Working on this book required a lot of nautical know-how. My naval-captain-father, Walter Peterson (who plays the character of Lieutenant Peterson), was only too happy to impart his knowledge on a grateful daughter. Anything that might be wrong in regards to the ship is not the fault of the captain, but of the author.

3. There is a hidden Nathan and a hidden Alison in every book I write. Sometimes they get big characters to play and sometimes they only get a single mention. It’s always fun to hide the Nathan and Alison and to get feedback from readers when they find them.

4. A Captain for Caroline Gray is the first regency novel I’ve ever written, but I have been an avid fan of the genre for many years. I loved being able to move into the time and language in a setting that is not often used in the regency genre!

5. Living on a ship makes for tight quarters, but they sure do utilize every inch of space they are given! They even have a carpentry shop and a doctor’s cabin for when repairs of ship and crew were necessary.

6. Caroline’s ability with art allows her to get into spaces a lady would not normally be allowed which gave her opportunities to become friends with members of the crew and allows the reader little glimpses into those lives that are sometimes not thought about in the regency time.

7. Captain Scott might seem gruff and unrelenting when it comes to a person’s word by modern day standards, but this is at a time when one’s word was their honor and one could be challenged to a life-threatening duel over something as “trifling” as a man’s word. Not saying that deceptions didn’t occur, because of course they did. These are people we’re talking about here, but there is something admirable about a person who values the honor of their word.


About the Author



Julie Wright has written 25 novels, is a two-time Whitney Award winner for best romance, and is a Crown Heart recipient. The American Library Association listed “Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me” in their 2020 top ten best romances and A Captain for Caroline Gray in their 2021 top ten best romances. She loves writing, reading, traveling, hiking, playing with her kids, and watching her husband make dinner.



Tour Schedule

(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)

December 7th: Launch
December 8th: Nancy Campbell Allen - The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart
December 9th: Rachael Anderson - Five Kisses
December 10th: Sarah M. Eden - The Merchant and the Rogue
December 11th: Arlem Hawks - Georgana's Secret
December 12th: Jess Heileman - The Nabob's Daughter 
December 13th: Krista Jensen - Miracle Creek Christmas
December 14th: Jen Geigle Johnson - A Christmas Kiss
December 15th: Josi S. Kilpack - Love and Lavender
December 16th: Carla Laureano - Discovered by Love series
December 17th: Sarah L. McConkie - Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough
December 18th: Carol Ross - His Hometown Yuletide Vow
December 19th: Nichole Van - Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series
December 20th: Anneka R. Walker - Brides and Brothers
December 21st: Camron Wright - Christmas by Accident
December 22nd: Julie Wright - A Captain for Caroline Gray
December 23rd: Grand Finale
 

Tour Giveaway



One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon E-Gift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 29, 2021




Grab Our Button!


Monday, December 20, 2021

Clean Romance for Christmas: Brides & Brothers by Anneka R. Walker

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Brides & Brothers
By Anneka R. Walker

Contemporary Romance
Paperback, E-book & Audiobook, 270 Pages
September 1, 2021 by Covenant Communications

A modern retelling of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Camille Kelly is in real danger of becoming an old maid—at least by Cherish, Montana, standards. She has all but given up on finding Mr. Right—until her broken laptop leads her to Aiden Peterson, a tall, dark, and handsome computer genius. Camille would never have believed her magic moment was right around the corner, but after two whirlwind weeks, she has a ring on her finger and has happily ever after in sight. However, she soon discovers Aiden is part of a daunting package deal . . .

As the eldest of seven brothers, Aiden has never had a problem living under the same roof as his rambunctious siblings. When he falls for Camille, he is confident she’ll fit right into his family’s already bursting home. He thought wrong. Aiden and Camille’s storybook romance comes to a screeching halt when she discovers her new living situation. Not willing to submit to a life mothering a bunch of grown men, Camille has only one option: she embarks on a campaign to improve her new brothers-in-law and marry them off. And what better candidates for wives than her own best friends?

(Affiliate links included.)


Excerpt

No one should underestimate the influence of a woman. If Aiden Peterson had realized this a few years ago, it would’ve saved him a lot of grief in his efforts to parent his six younger brothers. Lost in his thoughts, Aiden leaned against the marble countertop in his kitchen while he waited for his dinner to finish cooking. It had been a week since he’d said goodbye at the airport to his baby brother, Grant, who had deployed to Iraq. Watching Grant hug his girlfriend, the woman who’d turned him into a well-behaved man almost overnight, had reminded Aiden of a promise he’d made ten years ago at his parents’ graveside—one he intended to keep.

The timer went off, and Aiden pulled the pan of fish sticks and fries out of the oven. He grimaced when he accidentally dropped the hot pad onto the heating element. Instantly, a corner of fabric disappeared in a small flame. He grabbed a spatula, scooped the burning hot pad onto the floor, and deftly pounded out the flames.

It didn’t bode well if thoughts of dating again had distracted him to the point of nearly burning down his house. While he loved living in a bachelor pad with his brothers, a guy could only live off frozen food for so many years before he cracked. If getting married could change this, dating might be worth it. With a sigh of disgust, he rinsed the charred hot pad under water. He let it drip dry before he opened the drawer next to the oven and threw it in.

“I saw that.” Benson drawled from the other side of the room. Aiden glanced at his brother just thirteen months younger than him, sitting in the family room just off the kitchen. He wished Benson didn’t have an inch on him in height and a broader chest. It had been so much easier to tell his brothers to mind their own business when they were smaller. “When are you going to learn how to cook?” Benson asked him.

“No need when I have you around,” Aiden said. Benson was the only one of the Peterson brothers who knew how to cook, and his meals consisted of potatoes and potatoes.

“What if I get married and leave?”

Aiden’s brow rose. It was ironic how casually Benson had brought up marriage, the topic that kept ringing in his own mind. “You have to learn how to talk to girls before you can get married.”

Benson had a lot going for him, but he was reserved and antisocial. He needed a woman to pull him out of his shell. In fact, all his brothers could benefit from the influence of a woman—a person who could bring light back into their lives, like Amy had done for Grant.

Benson picked at his teeth with a toothpick. “There isn’t a need to talk to girls. They talk enough for everyone.”

Benson’s hang-up with dating was part of the Peterson plague. They’d had to be independent and emotionally guarded for so long, but it didn’t have to be like that anymore. Once Aiden married, the pattern would cycle right down the alphabet. Next would be Benson, then the twins, Cade and Daegan, then Flynn, Easton, and Grant. In fact, Aiden didn’t see why he couldn’t get the older five married before Grant’s deployment ended in a year’s time.

No one else was home, so this was Aiden’s opening to confess his thoughts and gauge Benson’s reaction. “We can work on the talking-to-girls thing. I want you to start dating.” He had Benson’s full attention now. Aiden juggled a hot fish stick back and forth between his hands before setting it back down in the pan with resolve. “Seeing Grant and Amy together got me thinking about Mom and Dad. After the crash, I vowed I’d get us all married and settled down. More than anything, they wanted us to find happiness with our own families. It’s been ten years. It’s time.”

Excerpted from Brides & Brothers by Anneka R. Walker, Copyright © 2021 by
Anneka R. Walker. Published by Covenant Communications.


About the Author



Anneka Walker is an award-winning author raised by a librarian and an English teacher turned judge. After being fed a steady diet of books, she decided to learn about writing. The result was a bachelor's degree in English and history. When she isn't dreaming up a happy ending for a story, she is busy living her own with her husband and adorable children.



Tour Schedule

(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)

December 7th: Launch
December 8th: Nancy Campbell Allen - The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart
December 9th: Rachael Anderson - Five Kisses
December 10th: Sarah M. Eden - The Merchant and the Rogue
December 11th: Arlem Hawks - Georgana's Secret
December 12th: Jess Heileman - The Nabob's Daughter 
December 13th: Krista Jensen - Miracle Creek Christmas
December 14th: Jen Geigle Johnson - A Christmas Kiss
December 15th: Josi S. Kilpack - Love and Lavender
December 16th: Carla Laureano - Discovered by Love series
December 17th: Sarah L. McConkie - Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough
December 18th: Carol Ross - His Hometown Yuletide Vow
December 19th: Nichole Van - Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series
December 20th: Anneka R. Walker - Brides and Brothers
December 21st: Camron Wright - Christmas by Accident
December 22nd: Julie Wright - A Captain for Caroline Gray
December 23rd: Grand Finale
 

Tour Giveaway



One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon E-Gift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 29, 2021




Grab Our Button!


Sunday, December 12, 2021

Clean Romance for Christmas: The Nabob's Daughter by Jess Heileman

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Nabob's Daughter
By Jess Heileman

Historical Romance
Paperback, E-book & Audiobook, 444 Pages
June 30, 2021 by Vagabond Publishing

She’ll do anything to escape an arranged marriage. He’ll do anything to help her. 
 
Honora Crauford relishes her life in India. So when her father informs her of his latest business transaction—marrying her off to a bankrupt nobleman in England—her only hope for returning home is to convince her betrothed, by whatever antics necessary, that a marriage to her comes at a cost that not even the greatest fortune can justify. 
 
Graham Whitworth can hardly believe his wretched luck. It seems the only way to save his family’s insolvent estate is to comply with his father’s demands and marry the extremely wealthy, but utterly ridiculous, nabob’s daughter. But when Honora missteps, Graham discerns her farce and begins to see who she truly is—a most impressive lady. A lady likely capable of fixing his family’s financial troubles. 
 
Realizing they both desire freedom, Graham and Honora join forces to restore the Whitworth estate and return Honora to her beloved India. But sometimes love has its own agenda, and the revoking of a once undesirable arrangement may just prove to be the greatest sacrifice of all.

(Affiliate links included.)


Excerpt

“Miss Crauford?” The servant, whose blue livery matched the opulent cloth on the coach’s driving box, approached me.

My palms were clammy within my gloves, and I mindlessly rubbed them against my middle. Did I truly have the tenacity to enact such a preposterous scheme? It wasn’t too late to simply comply with Papa’s demands and marry Lord Denhurst’s son. I wavered between two seemingly detestable options. Then an image of India filled my mind’s eye. If I abandoned my plan now, I would likely never see my home again. Once Papa was in England, he would see me married, just as he said he would. That would not do. No, I needed to convince Lord Denhurst to revoke his offer, thus adhering to Papa’s admonition that I would not make him break his word, and to be on my way home before Papa arrived.

The man stopped when he was still a little way off. “You are Miss Crauford?”

“I will do anything to get home,” I whispered under my breath, rousing my courage. It was now or never, and never was not an acceptable option.

“I should certainly hope so.” I lifted my chin to an arrogant level, acting in complete opposition to Mrs. Purcell’s lessons. “Otherwise I have made a very tedious voyage for nothing.” The man’s dumbfounded expression was proof I had chosen the correct vocal timbre to use—obnoxiously loud and fast with a grating quality that had been perfected in the privacy of my cabin over the last several months. “Have you come to take me to my soon-to-be husband?” I scanned his figure in a blatant appraisal, refusing to consider my own mortification so as not to risk a blush. “Or are you him?”

“Yes, miss,” he said, before realizing his error. “I mean, no.”

“Which is it?” I asked, swiftly closing the distance between us. “I would not mind the latter, for you appear to be a man worth crossing an ocean for, despite your obvious oversight of fashion.”

His gaze whipped to the coachman stationed atop the carriage before he returned it to the ground between us. “No. I’m only the footman. I’ve been sent from Grandview to collect you.” There was utter desperation in his voice.

“Collect me?” I scoffed in feigned offense. “As though I am your master’s possession? What an absurd and utterly infuriating notion. Pray tell me, do all men in England think so little of the female sex or is that a particular view of Lord Denhurst and his son?”

Excerpted from The Nabob's Daughter by Jess Heileman, Copyright © 2021 by
Heileman. Published by Vagabond Publishing.


About the Author



In kindergarten, Jess won a first prize ribbon for her original creation Pigs in Wigs. It was a solid storyline: there was this pig that wore a wig—and it rhymed. Not impressed? Neither were her children when shown the very masterpiece that influenced her to become an author. “You won a ribbon for that?” Yes. Yes, she did. Thankfully, life has since exposed her to a thorough education with its share of awards and accolades—and, more importantly, to the trials and human experiences that form the heart of a storyteller and the substance of great stories. Besides her love of writing, Jess is an avid reader, shameless people observer, international café loiterer, and partially retired photographer. She loves being a mother to five amazing humans and a wife to the greatest man she knows.



Tour Schedule

(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)

December 7th: Launch
December 8th: Nancy Campbell Allen - The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart
December 9th: Rachael Anderson - Five Kisses
December 10th: Sarah M. Eden - The Merchant and the Rogue
December 11th: Arlem Hawks - Georgana's Secret
December 12th: Jess Heileman - The Nabob's Daughter 
December 13th: Krista Jensen - Miracle Creek Christmas
December 14th: Jen Geigle Johnson - A Christmas Kiss
December 15th: Josi S. Kilpack - Love and Lavender
December 16th: Carla Laureano - Discovered by Love series
December 17th: Sarah L. McConkie - Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough
December 18th: Carol Ross - His Hometown Yuletide Vow
December 19th: Nichole Van - Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series
December 20th: Anneka R. Walker - Brides and Brothers
December 21st: Camron Wright - Christmas by Accident
December 22nd: Julie Wright - A Captain for Caroline Gray
December 23rd: Grand Finale


Tour Giveaway



One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon E-Gift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 29, 2021

ENTER HERE


 
Grab Our Button!


Saturday, December 11, 2021

Clean Romance for Christmas: Georgana's Secret by Arlem Hawks

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Georgana's Secret
By Arlem Hawks

Historical Romance
Paperback, E-book & Audiobook, 335 Pages
January 12, 2021 by Shadow Mountain

A Regency romance on the high seas. Two hearts yearning to find a safe harbor, and possibly, a lasting love. 
 
As a young girl, Georgana Woodall dreamed of beautiful dresses, fancy balls, and falling in love. However, when her mother dies, she cannot face a future under the guardianship of her abusive grandmother and instead chooses to join her father on his ship disguised as his cabin boy, "George." 
 
Lieutenant Dominic Peyton has no time in his life for love, not with his dedication to His Majesty's Royal Navy claiming his full attention. While trying to adjust to a new crew, he strives to be an exemplary officer and leader. When he sees the captain's cabin boy being harassed by the crew, he immediately puts a stop to it and takes the "boy" under his wing. 
 
After discovering a number of clues, Dominic deduces that George is really a woman. Knowing that revealing the cabin boy's secret would put her in serious danger from the rowdy crew, Dominic keeps silent and hides his growing affection for her. Georgana is quickly losing her heart to Dominic's compassion and care but is convinced nothing can come of her affection. She cannot continue to live her life on the sea, and having already missed too many seasons in London, her chances of being welcomed back into polite society and finding a suitable husband are quickly slipping away.

(Affiliate links included.)

Excerpt

Georgana stumbled to the mainmast and collapsed against it. He stopped beside her,
hands on his knees and gasping for breath.
 
A laugh—a warm flash that split the night—spilled out as she slid down the mast to sit on
the deck. No one glanced their way, and the feminine tone was lost in the shouts of the next
round of dancers. Little droplets glinted from corners of her eyes.
 
He sank quietly to the floor beside her, not wanting to disrupt the scene. She drew in
gulps of fresh sea air as her peal of laughter wafted away like autumn leaves on the wind. It was
no wonder she never laughed on board. She’d mastered the facade of a shy cabin boy, but he
didn’t think she could ever mask her laugh.
 
She wiped the moisture from her eyes and watched the bright moon above them. He
ignored the moon and the way it tripped across the waves. Tonight he forgot the ocean. He
watched her.
 
His heart pounded between his ribs, and he nearly let it push him forward to kiss that
contented smile. How would it feel to have Georgana Woodall’s soft lips caressing his own? To
be wanted by someone like her would be a wondrous thing.
 
Dominic straightened, giving his head a sharp shake. What was he thinking? As though
he could ever conceal a kiss with three hundred other men milling about or while this close to her
father. Besides, he couldn’t see her welcoming a kiss that could compromise her disguise.
 
“What is it? Are you sure you’re well, Lieutenant?” She leaned toward him, face
upturned.
 
He needed to get out before his reckless nature took over and he did something they’d all
regret. “Yes, quite well.”

Excerpted from Georgana's Secret by Arlem Hawks, Copyright © 2021 by Arlem Hawks. Published by Shadow Mountain.

Historical Details: Sea Shanties




About the Author



Arlem Hawks began making up stories before she could write. Living all over the Western United States and traveling around the world gave her a love of cultures and people, and the stories they have to tell. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in communications and emphasis in print journalism, and now lives in Arizona with her husband and three children.


Tour Schedule

(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)

December 7th: Launch
December 8th: Nancy Campbell Allen - The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart
December 9th: Rachael Anderson - Five Kisses
December 10th: Sarah M. Eden - The Merchant and the Rogue
December 11th: Arlem Hawks - Georgana's Secret
December 12th: Jess Heileman - The Nabob's Daughter 
December 13th: Krista Jensen - Miracle Creek Christmas
December 14th: Jen Geigle Johnson - A Christmas Kiss
December 15th: Josi S. Kilpack - Love and Lavender
December 16th: Carla Laureano - Discovered by Love series
December 17th: Sarah L. McConkie - Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough
December 18th: Carol Ross - His Hometown Yuletide Vow
December 19th: Nichole Van - Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series
December 20th: Anneka R. Walker - Brides and Brothers
December 21st: Camron Wright - Christmas by Accident
December 22nd: Julie Wright - A Captain for Caroline Gray
December 23rd: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway



One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon E-Gift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 29, 2021



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Friday, December 10, 2021

Clean Romance for Christmas: The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Merchant and the Rogue
(The Dread Penny Society #3)
By Sarah M. Eden

Historical Romance
Paperback, E-book & Audiobook 368 Pages
August 17, 2021 by Shadow Mountain

London, 1865 
 
Vera Sorokina loves reading the Penny Dreadfuls and immersing herself in tales of adventure, mystery, and romance. Her own days are filled with the often mundane work of running the book and print shop she owns with her father. The shop offers her the freedom and income to employ and protect the poverty-stricken Londoners she's come to care about, and it gives her father something to do other than long for their hometown of St. Petersburg. She is grateful for the stability in their lives, but she often feels lonely. 
 
Brogan Donnelly was born and raised in Ireland, but has lived in London for several years, where he's built a career as a Penny Dreadful writer. He has dedicated himself to the plight of the poor with the help of his sister. His membership in the secretive Dread Penny Society allows him to feel he isn't entirely wasting his life, yet he feels dissatisfied. With no one to share his life with but his sister, he fears London will never truly feel like home. 
 
Brogan and Vera's paths cross, and the attraction is both immediate and ill-advised. Vera knows from past experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at her print shop is aboveboard. When the growing criminal enterprise run by the elusive and violent Mastiff begins targeting their area of London, Brogan and Vera must work together to protect the community they've both grown to love. But that means they'll need to learn to trust each other with dangerous secrets that have followed both of them from their home countries.

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Guest Post: 
Real Life Setting from The Merchant and the Rogue

The Merchant and the Rogue contains a story, written in the style of a 19th Century “Penny Dreadful”--a story, usually melodramatic and over-the-top, that was published in serial form for one penny per installment--as it would have been written by the hero of The Merchant and the Rogue, Brogan Donnelly.

I set this story, a mystery filled with creepy scenery and disconcerting characters, in the real-life Museum of Natural History in Dublin, Ireland. This museum was opened in 1856 in a stately Dublin building, and very little about it has changed since. It is often described as “a museum of a museum.” Walking through this piece of Dublin history is like stepping back in time. And it is one of the most wonderfully creepy places I have ever had the joy of visiting.

The large, four-story building is filled to the rafters with taxidermied animals, skeletons, pelts, preserved fauna. Many of the specimens have been on display for over 150 years. This museum, filled with once-living creatures, is known affectionately amongst the locals in Dublin as “The Dead Zoo.”

The museum offers an online virtual tour of the exhibits, the main hall, the wings and balconies, and it is fascinating! Go have a virtual look around, then go read “The Dead Zoo” woven through The Merchant and the Rogue. The creepiness of it is some of the most fun I’ve had creating a setting.
 
 


Other Books in the Series



About the Author



Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today best-selling author of witty and charming historical romances, including 2020’s Foreword Reviews INDIE Awards Gold Winner for Romance, Forget Me Not, and 2020 Holt Medallion finalist, Healing Hearts. She is a two-time “Best of State” Gold Medal winner for fiction and a three-time Whitney Award winner. Combining her obsession with history and her affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting deep characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library.

 

Tour Schedule

(Posts go live on the day they're scheduled.)

December 7th: Launch
December 8th: Nancy Campbell Allen - The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart
December 9th: Rachael Anderson - Five Kisses
December 10th: Sarah M. Eden - The Merchant and the Rogue
December 11th: Arlem Hawks - Georgana's Secret
December 12th: Jess Heileman - The Nabob's Daughter 
December 13th: Krista Jensen - Miracle Creek Christmas
December 14th: Jen Geigle Johnson - A Christmas Kiss
December 15th: Josi S. Kilpack - Love and Lavender
December 16th: Carla Laureano - Discovered by Love series
December 17th: Sarah L. McConkie - Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough
December 18th: Carol Ross - His Hometown Yuletide Vow
December 19th: Nichole Van - Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series
December 20th: Anneka R. Walker - Brides and Brothers
December 21st: Camron Wright - Christmas by Accident
December 22nd: Julie Wright - A Captain for Caroline Gray
December 23rd: Grand Finale


Tour Giveaway



One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon E-Gift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 29, 2021




Grab Our Button!