Update: Mary picked the lucky winners and they are:  Maria Smith and Stacy Fox! Congrats!! Since Mary linked this giveaway with her Facebook Fan page ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Wine/133965836120), you can find the full details there.

It’s my pleasure to welcome awesome historical author Mary Wine to the party.  Mary writes wonderfully sensual and romantic tales that I adore. Mary, thanks for joining us!

It’s release time!

Always a favorite time for us authors. You see, we turn in our babies, edit and polish them and then…move on to another book before they come out and we get to share them with anyone. Congrats Cynthia! Excellent reason for a party!

My last release of Highland Heat and my coming one is ‘My Fair Highlander’, both Scottish historicals, so I thought I’d blog about men in kilts.

What is it about men in kilts?

I think it isn’t so much what they wear as who they are. Those Celts are tough people, Scotland itself isn’t the easiest place to survive. The soil is thin in many places and it rains…a lot! But these northern lands have been home to people that flourish where I fear I might raise my white flag of surrender.

The kilt itself is a garment that comes from practicality. First of all, it’s wool. For centuries, this was one of the only textile fibers being produced in the area. It is the easiest one to cultivate because sheep can graze freely. Wool maintains ninety percent of its insulting factor when wet when cotton keeps only ten. Something very important if you are talking about surviving in a time when there is no central heating. The kilt was a length of wool, which might be sheered off a sheep, carded by hand and spun into yarn which could be woven by even the most rural family.

But that’s not what draws me to the Highlands for my stories. I do love reading the historical facts because it puts me in touch with the time period. I think that’s vital to a good historical novel. As a reader, I want to have enough detail to believe I’m there and as an author, I try to make sure that happens. There’s a delicate balance to maintain it but Highlanders are worth the effort.

They were hardened by the land they lived on but had a great sense of humor too. These men held themselves to noble ideals and that is what brings to my mind as my heroes. The kilt, that so many poke fun at is actually another detail of their ability to preserver. Textiles were hard to produce, meaning you had one garment and they belted it during the day and unpleated it at night to use for bedding. Rather ingenious of them in my opinion.

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Update: The winner of MARKED is Krissy Holstein, and the winner of ENTWINED is Raonaid Luckwell–congrats!!!

Party! Party! Party!  I love a day of non-stop giveaways.  Prizes are awesome. I just love them. Don’t you?

And you know what else is awesome? The next author and book that I’m spotlighting.  The author is Elisabeth Naughton, a woman who writes both great suspense and paranormal romances. The book we’re spotlighting? Well, that would be…

TEMPTED

Eternal Guardians Book 3
Sourcebooks
September 6, 2011
ISBN-13: 9781402260469
ISBN-10: 1402260466

DEMETRIUS—He’s the hulking, brooding warrior his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it’s best to keep everyone at arm’s length.

Isadora is missing. The words pounded through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection, Demetrius had done all he could to avoid the fragile princess, his soul mate. And now she was gone—kidnapped. To get her back, he’ll have to go to the black place in his soul he’s always shunned. As daemons ravage the human realm and his loyalty to the Guardians is put to the ultimate test, Demetrius realizes that Isadora is stronger than anyone thought. And finally letting her into his heart may be the only way to save them both.

Read an excerpt:  http://www.elisabethnaughton.com/books/tempted/

Pre-Order Links:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• B-A-M
• Borders
• Chapters
• IndieBound
• Powell’s

Demetrius’s Free Read & Downloadable wallpaper: http://www.elisabethnaughton.com/extras/demetrius/

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Thanks for all the great info on TEMPTED, Elisabeth!  Now, it’s comment time.  What tempts you?  In addition to the hero of TEMPTED, chocolate tempts me (I have no will at all when it’s near).  🙂 Tell me what tempts you.  Two winners will be selected randomly–one person will win a copy of Elisabeth’s MARKED and one will win a copy of her book, ENTWINED. Ready? Set? Comment!

Update:  The winner of GAME FOR LOVE is…Maria (pronounced Mariah) and the winner of CANDY STORE is Khelsey.  Congrats!

Author extraordinaire Bella Andre is my next guest–Bella is one busy woman who as written some fabulous books!  She’s here to introduce  you to a great new family…one that you will find in the pages of her books. Bella is also offering 2 giveaways, so read on for more information! Welcome, Bella!

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Meet the Sullivans!

I’m so thrilled to be introducing you to the fun, sexy siblings in my new contemporary romance series with Chase Sullivan, the hero from The Look of Love. A successful photographer who travels the world and has his pick of beautiful women, Chase thinks life is great just as it is – until he finds Chloe and her totaled car in a ditch on the side of the road in Napa Valley. She’s utterly lovely, both inside and out, and he’s soon willing to move mountains to love – and protect – her. But will she let him?

Unfortunately, a wrecked car is not the worst thing to happen to Chloe that day. The bruise on her cheek can attest to that. She’s vowed never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Surely, the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of a rain storm is too good to be true. Or is he? Because with every loving look Chase gives her – and every sinfully sweet caress – as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the only exception.

And although Chase didn’t realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart.

Read the rest of this entry–>

Update:  The winner of BREAKING POINT is…Rachel Elizabeth! Congrats!!

Are you gearing up for a fun 4th of July weekend?  You know what will make that weekend awesome? Winning a copy of Pamela Clare‘s BREAKING POINT. Oh, yes, that would make it awesome because the book is phenomenal.

Blurb:

While investigating border violence in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Denver journalist Natalie Benoit is caught in a bloody ambush and taken captive. Alone in the hands of ruthless killers, she will need every ounce of courage she possesses to survive.

Betrayed by another operative, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride, a former Navy SEAL, has endured a week of torture and interrogation at the hands of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Ready to give his life if he must, he remains unbroken—until he hears the cries of an American woman.

Although Natalie is only a voice in the darkness of their shared prison, her plight brings renewed strength to Zach’s battered body. With her help, he overpowers their captors, and they flee through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun.

But past loss and tragedy leave both of them reluctant to follow their hearts, even when the passion between them reaches its breaking point. Faced with feelings neither expected, they fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both…

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Read the rest of this entry–>

Update: The winner of the PDF copies of FATAL AFFAIR, FATAL JUSTICE, and FATAL CONSEQUENCES is…Leagh Christensen! Congrats, Leagh!

I hope that you’re enjoying the blog party so far!  We’re spotlighting lots of books–and there are LOTS more giveaways to come.  One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to sit down and enjoy a good book. (It’s too hot down in the South to do much else!) Whether I’m reading on the beach, on a hammock, or  on the couch,  a good book can certainly take me away.  Books have always been the perfect escape for me. Come on…don’t we all need an escape sometimes?

Lately, I’ve really enjoying escaping into my friend Marie Force‘s books.  Marie writes some fabulous tales–I love the suspense elements in her books.  Marie’s next release, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, will be available July 18th.

Blurb:

The murder of two members of the Capitol Cleaning Service might’ve been just another homicide investigation—that is If one of them hadn’t been romantically involved with a married senator from Arizona. Lt. Sam Holland and her team are plunged into another complex case that at first seems open and shut. But as Sam tugs on the threads of the investigation she uncovers a deep, dark Washington secret that threatens the careers of some of the government’s highest-ranking officials. Racing to catch a killer before he can strike again, Sam and her fiancé, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, attempt to plan a wedding while her colleague Detective Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales faces life-changing news.

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Marie’s books consistently blast their way to the top of the Kindle bestseller lists–cause she’s awesome like that. 🙂 Today, Marie is offering PDF copies of all three of her FATAL books to one winner (that’s FATAL AFFAIR, FATAL JUSTICE, and FATAL CONSEQUENCES).  If you’re looking for good romantic suspenses to take you away this summer, you want these.  So…to win, tell me why you enjoy suspense in your summer stories.  The winner will be randomly selected tomorrow at noon. Good luck!