The Unexpected Choice

Stacey Ingram is the girl next door. She keeps her business to herself and despises pity. Forced to drop out of school in order to take care of her ailing grandfather, her self-confidence is shot, yet she is still too proud to ask for help.

Her grandfather’s care zaps their savings, and the bills are piling up, but she would still rather go through bankruptcy than accept a handout.

Especially from the guy across the street, whom she has been in love with since childhood. And she’s far too busy caring for others to envision any happiness for herself. Besides, she knows what real love is, and it isn’t the feeling she gets whenever Joey McCrary comes around.

Joey McCrary is every girl’s dream, and he lives like he knows it. All through high school and college he had girls hanging on his arm, and he was none too careful whom he chose to spend his time with. Now that he’s faced with an unexpected responsibility, he has to change his ways fast.

The only person he trusts to help him is the girl next door, Stacey Ingram. Ever since he’s known her, she’s been a pillar of stability. No matter what life threw at her, she could handle it with quiet grace. That’s why he is certain, the curve he’s going to throw her will be met with equal effort.

The way he sees it, she needs him as much as he needs her. It’s a win-win. Not to mention the fact that she's more woman than he can handle. Now he’s wondering why he never noticed her before.

FROM THE COVER:

Joey McCrary needs a wife and someone to help him raise his daughter after he made some poor choices in college.  Stacey has always been his friend, and even though she’s a sweet girl, nothing can compare to the feelings he has for his ex.

Joey realizes that he and Stacey can benefit one another.  Joey can provide Stacey with all she’s ever wanted: a family.  But can Stacey teach him a few things along the way, too?

Available now at: AMAZON      BARNES & NOBLE      ASTRAEA PRESS

Time for Christmas Stories!

It is that time of year again! Get into the Christmas spirit with some good reading. Astraea Press has eleven Christmas regencies releasing this month (including Two Turtledoves and The Devil Duke Takes a Bride). Check out these titles on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

Meet & Greet: Teo

Teo

Stem 7217A

Teo spends a lot of time with Aria, the EROMI plant assigned to his social group. When Aria leaves to fulfill Dr. Admatha's mission, Teo has a difficult time understanding the difference between her mission and the orders stems usually receive, which mean they won't be coming back.

He doesn't have long to fret over her absence though. When his human counterpart is convicted of a capital crime, Teo's purpose is questioned by EROMI's powers that be. Who will Aria find in Teo's place when she returns to Endfield?

Meet & Greet: Aria

Aria Markus

#8936

Aria has lived and worked at the Endfield compound for the past several years. She lives among the stems and interacts with them on a daily basis. As far as they are concerned, she is one of them. She's been there long enough, she is starting to think she is too.

The powers that be never let her forget who she really is -- what her role at Endfield is.

But no one knows the real reason Aria came to Endfield in the first place. The one memory that haunts her and makes it impossible to trust another human being.

~ All We See or Seem (available now) and One Lonely Rose (work in progress)~

Meet & Greet: Gemini

Gemini

Stem 6418C

Gemini has lived in Endfield ever since she can remember. It is the only place she has ever been. Her entire life consists of exercise regimens, dietary regimens, community assignments, regular clinic visits, medical tests, and carefully supervised social interactions. But this strictly regulated life is all she has ever known -- her normal -- and she is perfectly content to maintain this existence and meet the expectations...

Until her closest friend gets his orders. When Gryff leaves, Gem's whole world seems to fall apart.

And that is when Gem discovers that not everything she has known her entire life is as it seems.

Be Sure to Check It Out

Goodreads Book Giveaway

All We See or Seem

by Leah Sanders

Giveaway ends September 29, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Friday Favorites: A Lot Like a Lady

Probably one of my favorite Regency romance books is A Lot Like a Lady by Kim Bowman and Kay Springsteen. It's a relatively new release (March 2012). They do such a good job with their characters and developing the relationship between them. The research that went into the story is evident too. Funny situations and humorous secondary characters. Love this one! Not gonna lie, I've read it more than once. Can't wait for the sequel to release!

COVER BLURB:

Ladies’ maid, Juliet Baines has gotten herself into a pickle by agreeing to go to London and taking the place of her mistress and best friend, Annabella Price, stepsister to the Duke of Wyndham. After all, what does a servant know about being a lady? But Juliet soon finds that pretending to be a lady isn’t nearly as hard as guarding her heart against the folly of wanting a man who’s completely out of reach.

Graeme "Grey" Roland Dominick Markwythe, Sixth Duke of Wyndham, approaches his duties as a nobleman with great dedication and meticulous care. And he’s a man who is not easily fooled...except when he tries to convince himself he's not utterly and madly in love with the beautiful imposter who has turned his life upside down. Will society and his responsibilities to his noble status keep him from opening his heart to the woman he loves?

Beguiling Bridget Release Party

The long awaited sequel to USA Today Bestselling Waltzing with the Wallflower has arrived! Don't miss Anthony and Bridget's story! Rachel and I are so excited about this new release, we decided to celebrate with a giant giveaway! There are prizes and chances to win on both of our blogs, as well as things to do on our Facebook pages. You can test your knowledge of Waltzing with the Wallflower, Ambrose and Cordelia's story, with trivia questions, suggest ideas for the title of Wilde and Gemma's story, access buy links, and more!

Enter the giveaway for my blog below. Then go visit Rachel's blog and enter hers too! Double your chances at winning!




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PURCHASE YOUR COPY HERE:Astraea PressAmazonBarnes & Noble
Meet the Characters:AnthonyBridgetWildeGemma

Beguiling Bridget Teaser:

They walked in awkward silence all the way to the end of the block. Bridget stopped at the house on the corner and followed the path to the front door, and without knocking she let herself in.

“Are you mad? You cannot simply let yourself into someone’s house! Whatever would people think? What would they say—?”

“Bridget, my dear, is that you?” a man’s voice called.

Anthony cursed. “A man? You’re here to meet a man? And dressed as a boy? Could this possibly get worse? You shun my attentions for another?”

“Bridget?” The voice was hoarse and weak.

“Merciful heavens! I will never live this down,” Anthony mumbled to himself as he followed the girl around the corner.

His eyes fell on an elderly gentleman who seemed to have one foot in the grave. “Ah, Bridget, my dear, are you ready for your fencing lesson?”

“I was wrong. It just became much worse.” Anthony began to perspire as Bridget shed her coat and rolled up her sleeves. Smooth fair skin peeked out from her white shirt, causing his nostrils flare in agitation or arousal — he wasn’t quite sure which, but he was certain the temperature in the house just spiked at least ten degrees. And where was the blasted butler with refreshments?

“And you are?” the elderly gentleman asked.

“Viscount Maddox at your service.” He bowed curtly before the man and waited.

“I’m sorry, Lord Travis. He insisted on following me.”

“How fortuitous, my dear. You shall have a sparring partner.”

“Sparring partner?” Anthony repeated and began to laugh. “Surely you jest.”

“I never jest.” The man made no move to smile or breathe, it seemed.

“Right, then.” Anthony shifted on his heels. “So I’ll just…” He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead he silently cursed his brother and Wilde as he shook off his jacket and readied himself for battle… against a woman. The very woman he was supposed to be winning.

Truly, the odds were not in his favor.

“En garde!” Bridget yelled.

Summer Reads

Thanks for stopping by! The giveaway for Summer Reads is All We See or Seem, a sci-fi romantic suspense and a $15 Amazon or Barnes&Noble gift card. See below to take your chance.

COVER BLURB:

Gryff’s orders lay unopened on the table.

The silent tension caused Gem to bite her lip. She tucked a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear and shifted uneasily in the chair. Wide-eyed, Gryff sat stiffly beside her, regarding the envelope. He was like a statue—hands on his knees—staring interminably at the table.

Finally, Gem cleared her throat. Gryff jolted as if in a daze and turned to look at her. A look of uncertainty hung in his eyes. She swallowed the dry, sticky taste in her mouth and reached for his hand. It felt cold…clammy. Gem could feel the faint tremor of his fear radiating through his fingers. She took Gryff's hand between her own and squeezed, trying to infuse heat and reassurance at the same time.

"Sometimes they come back," Gem's voice was barely a whisper. It was a feeble attempt, but she was grasping at straws here.

Everyone knows.

They don't come back. Never whole, anyway.

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Back to the linky list.

Tag I'm It!

I've been tagged! Amazing author April W Gardner challenged me to:

1. Go to page 77 of my manuscript.

2. Go to line 7.

3. Copy the next 7 lines/paragraphs.

4. Tag 7 other writers to do the same.

All We See or Seem page 77, line 7, 7 paragraphs:

Aaron fought the impulse to smile in recognition of his effect on the doctor. “Stems,” he repeated. “As in stem cells?”

“Precisely.”

It was difficult to tame his desire to continue in the adolescent vein by pressing the issue, and though he suppressed the urge to say it, he was still thinking, So, clones. Since the doctor was already visibly agitated, playing it safe seemed the better option.

Getting straight answers from this man was going to take some doing. Most of what Dr. Admatha had said sounded like a commercial for EROMI. And very little of it offered any more than what Aaron had already discovered through his own research. These doctors were well versed in how to paint the magnificent abstract masterpiece without any details whatsoever.

“Tell me about the stems, Dr. Admatha. Do they know?”

“No. They know only the reality we have built for them. They are content enough and, compared to most of the rest of the world, they live comfortable, healthy, and fulfilling lives. Part of your job is to keep it that way.

“Major, they are genetically engineered facsimiles. They are human-like only because their DNA is copied from humans. The stems themselves are soulless creatures. They exist only by my design and for my purpose.

My seven tags:

Lori Lapekes

Lisa Orchard

Iris Blobel

Rachel Van Dyken

Nancy Brandt

Lindsay Downs

Meg Mims

Be sure to leave me your link so I can read your excerpts too. :)

New Releases This Week

On Tuesday Upon a Midnight Dream by Rachel Van Dyken will release. On Thursday All We See or Seem by Leah Sanders will release. Both will be available for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as on Astraea Press's site.

In honor of these occasions, Rachel Van Dyken is hosting a giveaway on her site which has multiple prizes to be awarded. Please check it out!

For my part, I'll be giving away three copies of Rachel's Upon a Midnight Dream, and two $15 Amazon or Barnes&Noble gift cards.

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You can also Enter Rachel's Giveaway for other awesome prizes,
including a copy of All We See or Seem!

COVER BLURB:

Gryff’s orders lay unopened on the table.

The silent tension caused Gem to bite her lip. She tucked a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear and shifted uneasily in the chair. Wide-eyed, Gryff sat stiffly beside her, regarding the envelope. He was like a statue—hands on his knees—staring interminably at the table.

Finally, Gem cleared her throat. Gryff jolted as if in a daze and turned to look at her. A look of uncertainty hung in his eyes. She swallowed the dry, sticky taste in her mouth and reached for his hand. It felt cold…clammy. Gem could feel the faint tremor of his fear radiating through his fingers. She took Gryff's hand between her own and squeezed, trying to infuse heat and reassurance at the same time.

"Sometimes they come back," Gem's voice was barely a whisper. It was a feeble attempt, but she was grasping at straws here.

Everyone knows.

They don't come back. Never whole, anyway.

COVER BLURB:

"I release you..." were the last words Rosalind remembered before her world went black.   Stefan, the future duke of Montmouth, no doubt thought his words were welcomed, but he couldn't have been more wrong.  Oh, he was handsome as a pagan Norse god, but that was unimportant when her life as well as those of her family hung in the balance.

With less than six weeks left, Rosalind has stopped believing in the fairy tale, the prince on the white horse, and the stolen kiss that would awaken her from her worst nightmares. Resigned to her fate, she waits for the inevitable curse to run its course.

"We must marry at once!" Stefan declared, fully expecting Rosalind to be delighted that he had come to save her, but he was sorely mistaken.  Rosalind was no simpering docile female; she was a fiery temptress with a stubborn streak matched only by his horse, Samson. Insulting, infuriating, intoxicating and alluring enough to drive a man mad.  Stefan found himself thankful for the curse that required him marry her, thankful for the betrothal contract he had so recently tried to release her from...With the fortitude of a sailor shipwrecked, abandoned, and a solider warring for his life, Stefan  decides to lay siege to the greatest prize,  Rosalind's heart.